Nomura says FOMC focused on bolstering the US economy … “inflation less important”

Nomura with remarks on the US equity markets and the Federal Reserve.

On equities:

• downside risk has dropped, says Nomura
• cite macro hedge funds buying into the pullback … if not for these the softness would have been prolonged
• Also, “We think the downside risk posed to U.S. equities by systematic investors is much less serious now than it was before”

Nomura say volatility levels will stay elevated, due to

• uncertainty on the US economy
• November presidential election
• “The event premiums the market assigns to economic indicators also look likely to rise, given the increased uncertainty over the outlook for the US economy”
• “Members of the FOMC are already signaling an emphasis on keeping the US economy healthy, which presumably means that indicators of inflation are seen as less important than before, but even so, the event premium assigned to this week’s CPI announcement is fairly high.”

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.