European markets closed cautiously higher – turning around mid-session – following the words of the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, who clarified yesterday in the US Senate that the Central Bank is ready to accelerate the pace of rate hikes again to counter inflation which falls too slowly, while the economy holds up more than expected. The hawkish rhetoric generated the expected reaction: Treasury yields up, equity futures down, dollar strengthening. Powell himself returned to interest rates on the second day of hearings: 'No decision has been taken – he explained – The Fed's decisions will be guided by the data and the evolution
As for the ECB, analysts at Abn Amro have just updated their expectations on Eurozone rates.