Easy read for those who need additional information on what moves the I fund
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/27/business/worldbusiness/27scene.html?ref=business
Economic SceneThe Global Interest Rate Dance, With Bernanke Leading
By HAL R. VARIAN
Published: July 27, 2006
NOW that the World Cup and the Tour de France are behind us, the most exciting global spectator sport is watching Ben S. Bernanke: Will he raise interest rates in August or not? And what does his decision mean for world financial markets?
When the Fed raises interest rates, global investors find dollar-denominated investments more attractive. This increased demand for American assets tends to raise the value of the dollar.
But the higher the value of the dollar, the more expensive American goods become for foreigners and the cheaper foreign goods become for Americans, worsening the balance of trade. Eventually, a highly valued dollar can lead to a drop in production in industries that are sensitive to imports or depend on exports.
International financial markets respond to interest rate changes almost instantaneously, while the real side of the economy — production, employment, imports and exports — adjusts over many months or even years.
Such a policy runs the risk of stimulating inflation. The easy-money policies in the past few years have had a surprisingly small impact on wages, in part because of the threat of jobs moving to countries with lower labor costs. But if the dollar fell far enough, foreign labor would no longer be a bargain, giving domestic workers more leverage in wage negotiations.
In this chain of events, an inflationary spiral would become a real possibility, making the cost of a stumble on policy higher. Let us hope central bankers can keep dancing in step as they move interest rates back to normal levels.
Hal R. Varian is a professor of business, economics and information management at the University of California, Berkeley.