Bearish bets on most Asian currencies rose marginally in the run-up to a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting where it hinted at possible rate hikes next year, while bullish bets on the yuan reversed, according to a Reuters poll on Thursday.
In its policy meeting on Wednesday, the Fed left key rates unchanged and didn’t announce the start of its asset purchase tapering, as expected, but Chair Jerome Powell said board members believed tapering could conclude in the mid of next year, paving the way for potential rate hikes.