Savvy Trader Ensures $500,000 Profit If The Federal Reserve Cuts 25 Or 50 Basis Points

BY Benzinga | ECONOMIC | 09/18/24 12:54 PM EDT

A Polymarket trader, going by the alias?YatSen, has placed three different bets on interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, guaranteeing themselves a $500,000 profit.

What Happened: The trader is currently trading in the green on all his bets with the highest (+78.5%) gains on a 25-basis point slash. It is followed by 26.8% gains in a 50-basis point fall and a 1.2% gain in the overall interest rate cut.

The total value of his bets are as follows: a $937,877 bet that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by Sep.18 a $623,250 bet for a 50 basis points cut and a $913,898 bet for a 25 basis points drop.

That means the trader will profit $500,000 in case the Federal Reserve cuts 25 or 50 basis points, an outcome seen as assured by the markets.

The Federal Reserve's decision has kept market participants on edge, with a rate cut seen as practically assured. The size of the cut is more contentious.

Polymarket?data?shows a 53% chance the Fed will reduce interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) and a 47% chance is attributed to a?more aggressive 50 bps reduction. Over $15 million have been traded on these two options alone, with the entire market racking up a trading volume of over $55 million.

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full">Benzinga Future of Digital Assets conference</figure>

This massive bet is set against a backdrop of heightened expectations as investors eagerly await the Fed's next move.

Bitcoin?(CRYPTO: BTC)?is trading lower by 1.8% at $59789, while?Ethereum?(CRYPTO: ETH)?is 2.7% down at $2,300, reflecting broader market caution as uncertainty looms.

What’s Next: This tension between market expectations and individual bets will be a key point of discussion at Benzinga’s Future of Digital Assets event on Nov. 19, where industry leaders will explore how macroeconomic factors like interest rate cuts are influencing the broader digital assets and crypto markets.

Read Next: 

  • 50 Or 25 Bps Fed Rate Cut? Markets And Economists At Odds ? What Does Steeper Reduction Mean For Investors?

Image: Shutterstock

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

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