Global Market Shock! The Federal Reserve's Policy Faces Ultimate Test
1. Data Shock Impacting Global Markets
The latest economic data as of March 17 shows that US retail sales in February only recorded a month-on-month increase of 0.2%, significantly lower than the market expectation of 0.6%. This key consumer indicator's slowdown was like dropping a bomb on the financial market, directly causing the Dow Jones Index to fall by 2.3% in a single day.
The OECD simultaneously issued a major warning, lowering the expected GDP growth rate for the US in 2025 from 2.4% to 2.2%, and the expectation for 2026 plummeted from 2.1% to 1.6%. Analysts pointed out that this "double downgrade" adjustment presents a stepped downward characteristic, highlighting the continuous decline in growth momentum of major economies.