There was been a discernible shift in tone among Fed policymakers since the start of April. Whereas most officials believed that a 25-bps rate hike would be appropriate in May, recent inflation data spurred a more hawkish shift in rhetoric, with several FOMC members openly advocating for a 50-bps rate hike – and one has even talked up the possibility of a 75-bps rate hike.
“Given that the recovery has been considerably stronger and faster than in the previous cycle, I expect the balance sheet to shrink considerably more rapidly than in the previous recovery, with significantly larger caps and a much shorter period to phase in the maximum caps compared with 2017–19.