Investing.com - After a significant drop last Friday, the Australian Stock Exchange is set for a rebound as traders prepare for a potential shift in monetary policy perspective from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell later in the week.
The anticipated market response is due to the evolving interest rate landscape in Australia. A higher-than-expected inflation rate has pushed traders to delay anticipated rate cuts and consider possible further rate hikes from the Reserve Bank.
Over in the US, the growth in gross domestic product failed to meet expectations, with only a 1.6% increase in annualised terms in the first quarter of the year, compared to 3.4% in the previous quarter.
The latest US core personal consumption expenditures price index saw a 0.3% rise in March from February.
Market predictors are expecting a shift towards a more hawkish tone from Chairman Powell during the Federal Reserve's meeting this Thursday. Earlier this month, Powell stated that the data hadn't given the central bank "greater confidence" that inflation was under control, and it would likely take longer than anticipated to establish this confidence.
Currently, markets are factoring in roughly 20 basis points in cuts from the Federal Reserve in September. The Federal funds rate currently sits in a range of 5.25 to 5.5%.
Meanwhile, the S&P 500 experienced a 1% surge on Friday, reaching 5099.96, driven by optimism in the tech sector. Powell's upcoming address will precede the release of monthly US unemployment data, which is expected to remain steady at 3.8%.
Back in Australia, the recent surge in the consumer price index implies that the Reserve Bank of Australia may need to revise its short-term inflation forecast. The next decision on the cash rate is slated for May 7. Market participants have raised the probability of a shift to a 4.6% cash rate to approximately 5.2% by August. The current cash rate is 4.35%.
On the bond markets, Australia 10-Year rates were at 4.54% while United States 10-Year yields were at 4.663%.
