Hikes Quotations

We stand with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in this lawsuit, ... The Illinois Commerce Commission does not have the legal authority to order a power auction with unlimited rate hikes as the outcome. The ICC should tell Ameren and ComEd to take their auction proposal to Springfield for review by the General Assembly, which approved a Public Utilities Act that clearly gives Illinois regulators final say over electricity rates.

What they like is that the Fed came close to saying that the rate hikes are over.

What has changed in recent weeks is long-term interest rates across the globe are starting to feel the heat from Fed tightening and now from rate hikes from all kinds of quarters, including Japan and Europe which they really hadn't had to deal with before.

What's on peoples' minds is the possibility of a slowdown of the U.S. economy given the accumulation of rate hikes in the past year and a half and on higher oil prices,

Unless the statement offers fresh indications that the US Fed will continue its rate hikes going forward, the current rebound will come to an end sooner rather than later.

Unless the outcome contains a major negative surprise, the underlying firm tone of the dollar is expected to be sustained, as the market is now betting on continued interest rate hikes in the US.

With unemployment at a 30-year low and the short-term Conference Board forecast projecting favorable labor market conditions, confidence is expected to remain strong through the summer. Volatile financial markets and interest rate hikes are not expected to have a significant impact.

We're getting a moderation in bond yields, and energy prices came down today. We're looking at things more favorably than this morning. There's still residual analysis about the Federal Reserve, and we're seeing some gamesmanship heading into next week's meeting, debating how more hikes we have.

This ... suggests that the bank is well aware that the six consecutive hikes ... have a cumulative impact that has not yet been fully felt.

We're still going to get Japanese rates at zero for some time yet. The Fed continues to underpin the view that more rate hikes are highly probable, and yield premiums favor the dollar in the short term.

We have no problem bringing (young) people out for hikes and social activities. But when you flip that and say how many of those people show up for conservation activities or for going down to the City Council (meeting), that is where the numbers drop off drastically.

We have never proposed a tax increase. This lie about tax hikes is a desperate attempt by Berlusconi to rake in some votes...

What we're assuming is that as the Fed hikes rates, the bond market gets pulled along.

Yes, I think it's going to be a fantastic buy. I think we're going to pack the whole year's Super Bowl rate-of-gain, which tend to average 16 percent during the last 18 years, compound annual growth of the S&P 500, 16 percent a year. We've had zero so far and the outlook is improving very, very significantly for the worst worry that people have had. And that is the Fed rate-hiking. It really looks like the probability is increasing dramatically that the Fed rate hikes are over and inflation pressure is in check. And as that continues to happen through year-end, we can get a fantastic rally, 15 to 20 percent on the S&P 500 in three months.

We used to take these great hikes on the Great Wall, ... From our hikes, we developed a friendship that ended up with us combining forces in forming this new Chinese company.

Mandated hikes in the minimum wage do not cure poverty and they clearly do not create jobs.

Many of these countries are struggling to match rate hikes by the Federal Reserve,

Should consumer prices fall more than expected, it will certainly diminish concern about inflation and reduce expectations for further rate hikes in the U.S.. There's more room for the dollar to fall toward the year-end.

Most people think we're in for a couple more rate hikes in the United States. We'd argue that that would make life more difficult for equity markets but so far they seem to be trickling along quite nicely.

Most people are still expecting another couple of rate hikes by the Fed. We'd need something like a really bad jobs report on Friday to change those expectations and drive the dollar down much further.

Much of the dollar's move is coming from uncertainty as to what is going to happen with the Fed, ... There is speculation the Fed can pause, or they will raise rates but release a fairly dovish statement, putting rate hikes after September in doubt.

No doubt, 13 straight hikes by the (Federal Reserve) and the prospect of at least two more have also hurt.

Multiple rate hikes after May would certainly change the picture.

Money funds look very good at the moment, but you don't want to move everything into cash and at some point next year, when the rate hikes are over and the Fed starts cutting, find you've missed your chance to lock in higher long-term rates.

Maybe it's concern that the economy may have more of a hard landing. The economy grew a little faster than expected, so people might be thinking we're not done as far as interest rate hikes are concerned.

Phase two of the emissions trading scheme would result in further hikes in energy costs at a time when firms are enduring the highest gas and electricity prices for more than a decade.

If we do see additional absorption of spare labor market capacity, that could mean more rate hikes through the summer.

If we continue to see sharp hikes in yields, then stocks will face tougher competition from bonds. But if bond yields can stabilize here, or just move up modestly, stocks can tough it out.

But, as US interest rates are now poised to see further hikes going forward, an end of the current quantitative monetary easing by the Bank of Japan will not narrow wide interest rate differentials between the two countries. And this interest rate gap should continue to support the dollar.

But as the FOMC minutes also indicated that that the US economy still needs additional rate hikes ahead, interest rate differentials will continue to support the greenback.

Given the election situation, I don't see a sharp rise in fuel prices, but further interest rate hikes won't be a negative political factor.

Fukui's comments are positive on a shift in policy, and we may even get rate hikes later this year. That is positive for the yen.

Fundamentally we think rates should be higher than they are, but we've thought that for the last couple of years. The Fed's got a couple more hikes in it, and will stop out at 5 percent.

I expect stocks to fall. Fears of more rate hikes will take hold and some of the confidence we've seen will fade.

I expect (ECI) to be very tame and show now inflation. It's the GDP I'm concerned about. If either one doesn't come in line (with expectations), the market will remain under pressure, ... I'm looking at the GDP number because that's going to give us a direct causal effect to how well the interest rate hikes have slowed the economy down.

Given the steady diet of 'measured' rate hikes the Fed has provided in the past year and a half, many of you may be wondering when enough is enough. Let me first respond by saying, the closer we get, the less explicit we can be on that point; it's my personal opinion that as policymakers we should resist the temptation to say more than we know at any given time.

We are getting a consistent view from the Fed now that they are somewhat worried about the risk of a higher inflation rate. That is going to cause more rate hikes to come and higher yields will help the dollar.

His statements have set up a pause at the June meeting after they move in May. That doesn't mean we are done. He's leaving the door open to resume hikes at subsequent meetings.

I almost thought that a quarter-point rise in rates was priced into the market. But I think it depends on how the Fed says it or what they do because if it's the first in a series of hikes the market is going to get slammed hard.

I think, you know, you're going to have these crosscurrents in place here for the next few months where investors will be reacting to slower spending, but also the likelihood that interest rate hikes are going to be behind us. But because we think the economy is slowing, we think a better place to put your money going forward are in some of the sectors where growth rates will hold up somewhat better.

I think that the objective of the interest rate hikes is to keep the economy in the 3-1/2, maybe 3-3/4 range. So the Fed has been saying all along, give us 12 months from when we start to raise rates and we'll get the trajectory down. And I think that's what they've done.

I think we're seeing already the start of a relief rally. Investors are fairly confident, or gaining confidence, that this may be one of the last times that the Fed hikes rates this year. Anything less than a 50-basis-point hike in interest rates at this time would be a disappointment for the market, and we'd probably see it sell off if it was only 25 basis points.

I think based on the data we got this morning, the Fed hikes are priced in for the moment. And that's not really a positive signal for the dollar.

I think they are struggling with how to let markets know the rate hikes are coming to an end. The problem is that anything they say will get over-interpreted by financial markets.

I see more interest rate hikes and this will dampen domestic consumption. Also, the coming 50 percent increase in fuel prices will have a major impact on inflation.

Rising business costs and uncertainty in many companies about price hikes is a major consideration now in how fast the domestic economy can grow, especially in the second half of the year.

Recall the Fed's assessment following the (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting on Aug. 24, that the dual summertime rate hikes 'should markedly diminish the risk of inflation going forward,' ... This call is looking more tenuous with every passing day.

Payrolls is one of the main indicators of how strong the economy will be and a strong number means that there will be more rate hikes from the Fed. Yields are heading up across the curve.

Some of the economic data we have been seeing are quite strong, but -- if you really look into it -- there are signs the rate hikes we've seen have begun to slow the economy.

Some investors are betting that Hong Kong won't follow the U.S. rate hikes in May and are moving ahead to buy while prices are still reasonable.

Market psychology has changed a little bit -- or is beginning to change -- in terms of being a little more concerned about interest rate hikes in the States.

Like those players in the bond market, stock players may have begun to factor in rate hikes in the future.

I won't be surprised to see more falls in the property and financial sectors even if presales of apartments continue to do well. Investors are worried now by prospects of rate hikes larger than those in previous months.

I think people are looking forward to the end of rate hikes and if there's no dramatic change in the wording of the statement tomorrow, that could hurt the market.

I think rate hikes will become more difficult for the BOJ. Such expectations are driving up Japanese share prices.

I think rate hikes will become more difficult for the BOJ.

I'm still skeptical whether we will see a hike from the ECB this year. The fact the ECB won't deliver on rate hikes this year will probably pull the euro back.

The 15 Fed rate hikes and higher energy prices, even with the warmer than expected winter weather, are having negative impacts on confidence among regional supply managers and business leaders.

Most of the market is anticipating a couple more Fed rate hikes and I guess the risks are if we can read anything into (the minutes) that would indicate otherwise.

Most importantly, the Bank of Canada is not giving the impression that it has much of an appetite for further rate hikes beyond the 4 percent level.

While the decline in inflation can certainly accommodate a rate cut, we believe the bank will defer such a decision until any potential petroleum price hikes and their likely impact on inflation becomes clearer.

US import growth continues to slow as we see home sales there have peaked and interest rate hikes continue.

With the Fed's statement, Chairman Alan Greenspan's famed gradualism is surfacing again, as the chairman appears to be signaling a slow pace of interest rate hikes in the future,

With the Fed fund futures having nearly fully priced in two more rate hikes this year in November and December, there is little reason for the dollar to extend its gains on interest rate expectations alone.

To limit oneself to finding a mate on hikes is the wrong thing to do. I belong to Parents Without Partners, Events and Adventures, Space City Mixer and Great Expectations. Stay away from Internet dating. I take dance classes and go to dances. Women love to dance. I met my current girlfriend at a dance, and she comes with me on nearly all my Mountaineers hikes. She likes to bike ride and ski, too.

Today's report should convince most market participants that the March softness in the data was primarily a one-month phenomenon. Sounds like a recipe for continued 25 basis-point rate hikes for the foreseeable future.

Today's rates decision is expected to set the tone for the rest of the week. Hints of future rate hikes won't be welcomed by the market as higher rates start cutting into company earnings.

Today's inflation figures will reinforce the belief that the Fed only has one or two more interest-rate hikes up its sleeve before it rests. The lack of any significant upward pressure on inflation should help persuade the Fed to raise rates no higher than 5 percent.

We're not going to feel the impact of these rate hikes for quite some time.

We primarily see dollar strength because we're expecting one to two more rate hikes from the Fed. All that should be supportive.

We still don't know how many more rate hikes there are in the cycle and the minutes don't really shed light on that. But rate hike increases are probably not large.

The prospect of future rate hikes will push yields on CDs even higher, making them even more attractive.

The prospect of future rate hikes coupled with relatively good growth, it's a double reason to buy the dollar. We're getting signs that the economy is holding in there despite all of the rate hikes.

We won't see big moves today in anticipation of the FOMC statement. The risk is out there that the Fed could be a bit more hawkish... We still expect the Fed to continue its measured interest rate hikes until the end of the year,

The data will generate a debate at the Fed about how many more rate hikes there will be.

The fact that he is saying 'moderately augment' would appear to suggest that this will be a 25bp rather than a 50bp hike and that future rate hikes may also be limited.

Wall Street has embraced the news in a positive manner, exploiting the fact that the U.S. economy is in robust shape rather than dwelling overly on the fact that this news paves the way for further rate hikes at the Federal Reserve.

Wall Street breathed a collective sigh of relief this week as fears of mounting inflationary pressures and additional rate hikes by the Federal Reserve suddenly evaporated.

We're not pricing in rate hikes any time soon, and today's data won't change that. Inflation is off the radar screen for policy makers.

We've come a long way, ... There's almost no expectations of further rate hikes for the rest of the year.

This was a nice way to start off the new year. A lot of this was driven by the fact that the Fed confirmed that end is in sight. We've held onto the belief that when the Fed ends that stock prices will go up. We'll still have rate hikes but the market is celebrating that we'll see an ending sooner than later.

The price index came in higher and that kind of confirms expectations for at least two more rate hikes from the Fed.

While it sounds as if most members see that the series of rate hikes since June 2004 is close to the end, it's not over until the economy slows. The minutes are a little past their stale date. Commodity prices are soaring.

With that being said, we do not think this will cause a dramatic change in terms of the outlook for technology earnings for the next six months, and perhaps the next 12 months. The rate hikes from last year will probably affect technology spending over the next six months.

With successive (interest) rate hikes in late 2005, inflation easing and the domestic economy in a slowdown phase, we believe the Reserve Bank will keep rates on hold over the near-term.

Expectations of further Fed rate increases haven't peaked yet, while rate hikes by the Bank of Japan are a long way off. Along with Japanese investors continuing enthusiasm for overseas assets, that will likely push up the dollar in coming weeks.

But the language in the Fed comments and in Greenspan's speeches of late has been pointing to rate hikes becoming more aggressive, ... The word 'measured' is going to be dropped soon, maybe at this meeting, maybe at the next.

While the US Fed appears to have shortened its commitment to rate hikes by deleting the word 'measured', the US monetary authority still implies there are good chances of more rate hikes beyond the March meeting.

While there are still concerns about further Fed rate hikes down the road, it does seem as if the Fed's on hold for now and investors are starting to reassess which companies still have the best long-term prospects,

While the housing sector is slowing, almost all of its weakness will be offset by the improving factory sector, ... More interest rate hikes will be necessary to slow the economy sufficiently to alleviate the Fed's fears of building inflationary pressures.

While the government deprives workers of wage hikes, it condones the weekly oil price hikes imposed by the Big Three and new oil players. How can the government expect workers to cope with the high cost of petroleum and its domino effect on prices of other basic goods and services?

Up until recently, oil price hikes have offset disinflation. This time around, we're in a situation where inflation is starting to peek its head above the parapet, and policy makers will see it more as an inflation threat. That's problematic -- if they have to start reacting to higher inflation pressures by raising rates, that does slow the economy down.

The opinion also on Wall Street is that more rate hikes are likely to follow this. And if that occurs, there's still uncertainty in the overall market and consequently it will be tough to get a big rally off the low, ... The market has certainly become tired. The psychology is that of a bear market. We get strong openings only to close either at the low of the day or near the low of the day. Witness what we saw on Friday. So on balance, yes, that psychology has changed.

There could have been a heated discussion, with the doves preventing the acceleration in the pace of rate hikes the hawks may have wanted.

What our economist thinks at this point is that we have probably seen the last of interest rate hikes by the Fed, which could be a positive thing for the transportation sector,

With household finances already under considerable stress, one has to wonder if another round of rate hikes will lead to a more severe cutback in consumer spending.

With higher gasoline prices putting a dent in consumer spending and underlying inflation looking to be contained, further interest rate hikes seem unnecessary.

We think, in the short run, psychology drives the market but in the long run, fundamentals drive the market. We see very low inflation and no inflationary pressures. We think, going forward, expectations have come back down in line with fundamentals and we won't have the pressure of Fed rate hikes over the next 12 months.

Boy, we've been waiting for this. The feeling is that the market does not need further rate hikes and that the Fed will react accordingly.

Due to the Fed's preoccupation over inflation pressures, next Thursday's CPI report will be the main focus, but the obsession over global central bank rate hikes should subside because there is nothing major on the next week's calendar.