Last week's overview, this week key events

Note: This section contains information in English only.
Source: Dukascopy Bank SA
As it was widely predicted the last week was dominated by FOMC meeting that added turbulence into markets, however, Bernanke's decision came as a surprise for the majority of analysts. According to polls, which were published days before the meeting, a slight majority of economists predicted the announcement of tapering around $10-15 billion. However, "Helicopter Ben" somehow persuaded other Fed members to support him. Nothing. This is what Ben S. Bernanke decided to do, solidifying the standing as the most activist Fed Chairman in history. By a 9-to-1 vote, the policy-setting FOMC yesterday opted out from reducing $85 billion of monthly asset purchases, catapulting stocks to record highs and triggering the biggest rally in Treasuries in two years as investors repositioned for a more accommodative central bank. The Fed cited rising mortgage rates and reduced federal spending as headwinds that might undermine economic recovery in the world's largest economy. It is not hard to guess which currency was the main looser last week. The U.S. Dollar lost 1.76% against 8 major currencies. Market's reaction was immediate, as soon after the announcement EUR/USD currency pair touched 1.3541, while on Thursday it hit 1.3569– the highest since July. While market participants were betting on tapering, there are now growing concerns the Fed has lost control over its stimulus programme, as they are underestimating market reaction to any hint of a possible starting day of winding down QE. 

Another big looser last week was the Japanese Yen that lost 1.54% over a week. The USD/JPY pair showed an impressive rally, starting the week at 98.649, then hitting 97.76 on Bernanke and recovering up to 99.5 by the end of the week, providing great opportunity for traders. The lost mostly was driven due to BoJ' Governor Kuroda comments, who once again assured they will keep injecting enormous amount of liquidity into markets for as long as needed, while also mentioning a positive outlook for overseas economies. Meanwhile, the nation's trade balance and industrial production came above estimates, reinforcing a view the world's third largest economy is on the right track. 

This week is not likely to be as volatile as the previous one, while Bernanke's comments are expected to push the greenback lower at least until the next Fed gathering. During the next 5 trading days, there will be several economic releases from the Alpine country, including UBS consumption indicator on Wednesday, SNB Quarterly Report a day later and KOF economic barometer on Friday. The economy is performing better than expected, hence some upbeat data might be expected. Moreover, until the Franc is trading highly above 1.20 versus the single currency, there should not be any market interventions from the SNB, which once again pledged to protect the cap for as long as it is needed. The only day, when market will probably go wild is Thursday, when U.S. and U.K. GDP figures will be published, while Japanese Statistics Bureau will unveil the closely-watched inflation data. 

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