FOMC minutes sentiments and their impact on financial markets

Abstract

I develop a semi-automated method that systematically evaluates the information in FOMC meeting documents. This method highlights economic conditions and calculates document sentiment indices that proxy for the FOMC's interest rate tilt. I compare the sentiment indices of FOMC minutes and their corresponding FOMC statements. Using high-frequency data, I then examine how these sentiment indices are associated with the fed funds futures contracts, broad equity, and real estate investment trust indices, and exchange rate valuation of several major currencies against the U.S. Dollar. I find that minutes sentiments have a statistically significant association with the fed funds futures rate and the U.S. dollar's valuation.