In May the US Federal Reserve implemented its largest interest rate increase in two decades. The move is likely to affect emerging market currencies and increase debt payments. Emerging markets are better positioned to combat higher interest rates than in the past. Many central banks anticipated the rate hike and implemented their own fiscal measures. Following the US Federal Reserve’s decision to raise benchmark interest rates in recent months, analysts are closely tracking the impact this will have on emerging markets and their economies. On May 4 the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.5 percentage points to a target range of 0.75-1%, the largest increase since 2000. This followed a 0.25-percentage-point rise in March, the first since December 2018. The decision to lift interest rates comes amid attempts to control inflation in the US, which hit a 40-year high of 8.5% in March. After rates reached […]