The Fed is walking a very fine line as it must raise interest rates fast enough to cool both cost-driven and demand-pull (wage spiral) inflation and contain inflation expectations, without causing a hard landing in the US economy. Fed policymakers have warned that the entrenched inflation poses a “significant risk” to the US economy and tighter monetary policy may be needed if prices rise more than expected.(File pic: US Fed building in Washington)
GLOBAL stagflation risk, the war in Ukraine, an almost synchronisation of interest rate hikes by major central banks, and a slowdown in China’s economic growth are among the factors that have darkened the outlook of the global economy and affecting worldwide markets.
“It’s going to be a tough 2022, but maybe even a tougher 2023,” a quote from the International Monetary Fund’s chief who does not rule out the risk of a global recession in 2023 given the elevated risks.
