Market Outlook — Week of March 13, 2026

FOMC week with rate decision Wednesday March 15. Last week's US CPI came in slightly hotter than expected (3.1% vs 3.0%); shifted Fed expectations toward later cuts. This week's pre-FOMC positioning will dominate…
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Pre-FOMC Setup

Pre-FOMC weeks typically show: reduced position sizing by institutions awaiting clarity; range-bound trading on major pairs; gold strength on policy uncertainty; risk asset hesitation. Markets are pricing Fed to hold (no rate change) — surprise hold is unlikely. The dot plot revision is the actual market-moving event. Currently the median 2026 dot is 4 cuts (100 bps); any upward revision (fewer cuts) is hawkish; downward (more cuts) is dovish.

Key Events

DateTime UTCEvent
Tuesday March 1412:30US PPI inflation
Tuesday March 1412:30US retail sales
Wednesday March 1518:00FOMC rate decision + dot plot
Wednesday March 1518:30Powell press conference
Thursday March 1612:30US initial jobless claims
Friday March 1713:30US Michigan Consumer Sentiment

Asset Setups

  • EUR/USD — range 1.0850-1.0920 pre-FOMC; breakout direction depends on dot plot
  • Gold — pushing all-time highs around $2,380 on policy uncertainty
  • BTC — consolidation 58k-62k; institutional positioning ahead of FOMC affects flows
  • USD/JPY — JPY weakness continuing; key resistance 152.00

Pre-FOMC Strategy

  • Recommend — close all positions by 17:00 UTC Wednesday (1 hour before FOMC)
  • Don't trade — Wednesday 18:00-19:30 UTC (rate decision + Powell)
  • Wait for direction — Wednesday 20:00+ UTC for post-FOMC continuation setups
  • Thursday-Friday — trade the established post-FOMC trend with 30-60 min expiries

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