Thursday 20th December 2018

The Federal Reserve in the US has lifted interest rates, as anticipated. Phil Dobbie asks NAB’s Ray Attrill whether the message from the bank sets the right tone, given sensitivities in the markets right now. A subsequent fall in equities suggests investors were expecting a slightly more dovish tone. The job is easier for the Bank of England, with nobody expecting too much from their meeting today. There’s also discussion on the rise in oil prices, the fall in Italian bond yields and there’s some meaty data today, including UK retail sales, NZ GDP numbers and Australian employment numbers.