29 April 2019 : A slowdown in US consumer spending might be used as a reason for the Federal Reserve to delay further interest rate increases during its policy meeting scheduled for this week, even as Fed Funds Futures continue to point to more than a 50% chance of a US interest rate cut by October. In the immediate term however, investors could use Monday’s release of more inflation numbers to test the central bank’s data-dependent stance.

The Dollar Index might have slipped lower from its 2019 high last week, but it could still find reason to climb back above the 98 handle, should April’s US non-farm payrolls report due on Friday beat the 185,000 jobs that markets are expecting to be added. Continued job creation in the United States should help allay concerns over the momentum of consumer spending in the world’s largest economy.

Source : Lukman Otunuga, FXTM Research Analyst

Reporting for EasyKobo on Monday , 29 April 2019 in Lagos, Nigeria