Yesterday we presented the view of JPM's Michael Feroli of what today's FOMC statement may say (one word: inflation). Here is what Goldman believes: "Today's FOMC statement should be relatively uneventful. The committee is likely to acknowledge the stronger labor market data and the upward pressure on headline inflation, which will undoubtedly be characterized as temporary. We also expect a softening of the phrase that “[s]trains in global financial markets continue to pose significant downside risks to the economic outlook,” although we do not expect it to disappear entirely. At the meeting, the staff is likely to give a presentation on additional easing options, followed by an extensive committee discussion. (This will not show up in the statement and will only become visible to the outside world when the FOMC minutes are released three weeks later.) We still think that the committee will announce further easing before the end of the second quarter, when Operation Twist concludes. However, our confidence in this view has fallen on net, partly because of the stronger labor market and slightly higher inflation data and partly because Chairman Bernanke chose not to repeat his very dovish comments from the January 25 FOMC press conference at the February 29 Monetary Policy Testimony."
Remember: admitting inflation means no QE any time soon (and also admission that all the other central banks have succeeded in staving off deflation for a few more months courtesy of $2.5 trillion in excess liquidity injections in under 2 quarters).
Remember: admitting inflation means no QE any time soon (and also admission that all the other central banks have succeeded in staving off deflation for a few more months courtesy of $2.5 trillion in excess liquidity injections in under 2 quarters).
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