Fed Watching for Fun & Profit: A Primer for Investors

In predicting the major stock, bond, commodity, and foreign exchange markets around the world, nothing is more important than to anticipate the actions of the Federal Reserve System's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which sets the course of monetary policy in the United States. By controlling the key interest rate in the money markets and other monetary variables, the FOMC has an enormous impact on the global economy and financial markets.Watching the Fed closely are not only Wall Street's economists and investment strategists but also reporters and commentators at the major financial news organizations. In fact, anyone involved in investment matters and business activities anywhere in the world needs to watch the Fed, because its policies have powerful impacts not only on the US economy but also on the global economy.For participants in the financial markets, anticipating a policy change by the Fed and positioning an investment portfolio or speculative trade accordingly can result in big gains. Conversely, failing to anticipate a move by the Fed can result in big losses or missed opportunities for gains.In this unique primer, Dr. Edward Yardeni, one of the world's most experienced and widely followed "Fed watchers," helps investors to understand the FOMC's decision-making process, anticipate its moves, and profit from those insights.