Stock markets across the globe rallied strongly on Wednesday following a dovish news conference by the Federal Reserve which eased fears that policy would be tightened too quickly. Fed chairman, Jay Powell, signalled they would be patient with raising interest rates, at least in the near term, and flexible with plans to scale back the bond-buying stimulus programme. Although there has not been a major shift in the economic backdrop, there has been some weakness in domestic demand as the positive impacts of tax cuts have begun to fade and the oil price has continued its decline, impacting global growth in major markets. These factors, along with heightened geopolitical uncertainty, led the Fed to take a pause on the unwind of stimulus into the US economy. The Federal Reserve’s dovish outlook boosted appetite for risk, sending US, European and Asian stocks higher, whilst the US dollar weakened on the news.
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