FX.co ★ New mu strain of coronavirus likely to bypass antibody protection

The US currency is extending losses, while US stock indices constantly reach new highs. Notably, the market situation did not change much following the publication of the NonFarm Payrolls report and Jerome Powell's speech in Jackson Hole. The real estate market, the stock market, and the cryptocurrency market are now growing simply because the Fed injects more liquidity into the economy. This is an obvious connection. The price increase without comparable economic growth is inflation. In other words, the more money the regulator injects, the more devalued it becomes. Thus, as long as the Fed continues to pump up the economy with cheap liquidity, the above-mentioned markets are likely to maintain a rally. The question is when the Fed will be ready to start tapering QE. Analysts may answer that it may take place in the near future. Until then, those three markets will expand. However, even if the regulator reduces asset purchases, these markets will not immediately stop growing or start falling. After all, the Fed is likely to withdraw its bond-buying program gradually. For example, at the first stage, it may reduce its monthly asset purchases by $80 billion. In other words, this means that money will still be injected into the economy, inflating it, just in smaller volumes.

However, the US may face the fourth wave of the epidemic, which continues to gain momentum. The number of daily new cases rises rapidly, already approaching the highs of the third wave. It seems that vaccination does not help much in countering the pandemic. However, epidemiologists have already said that developed vaccines will not stop the spread of the coronavirus and will not create herd immunity. They will only help people have a mild form of the disease and recover quicker. For example, in the United States, about 25% of patients who tested positive for the new Delta strain have been fully vaccinated. In addition, a new strain has appeared, which is called mu. The country's chief epidemiologist Anthony Fauci and his colleagues are now studying a new strain, trying to find out whether a new mutation of the virus can bypass the antibody protection. However, scientists are already saying that the new strain is highly likely to bypass the protection of some antibodies. Fauci said that all variants of vaccines are effective against the coronavirus. Yet, the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine has decreased to 66% against the Delta strain. If the fourth wave keeps gaining momentum, it may significantly affect the US economy. Should the economic recovery slow down again, the Fed will not reduce the QE program in the near future. The stock and cryptocurrency markets are sure to take advantage of this situation, hitting new highs.