President Donald Trump may have found a way to force the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates after all.It’s no secret that Trump wants lower rates. He also wants more say in monetary policy, even though he already has the power to name the Fed chair and two vice chairs, subject to Senate confirmation. It … Read more
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday, but policymakers indicated they still expect to reduce them by three-quarters of a percentage point by the end of 2024 despite stodgier expected progress towards the U.S. central bank’s 2% inflation target. The Fed‘s new policy statement described inflation as remaining “elevated,” and updated quarterly economic … Read more
The U.S. economy maintained its resilience from October through December despite rising interest rates, growing at a 2.6% annual pace, the government said Thursday in a slight downgrade from its previous estimate. But consumer spending, which drives most of the economy’s growth, was revised sharply down. The government had previously estimated that the economy expanded … Read more
Most Federal Reserve officials agreed at their gathering this month that the central bank needed to tighten in half-point steps over the next couple of meetings, continuing an aggressive set of moves that would leave policy makers with flexibility to shift gears later if needed. “Most participants judged that 50 basis-point increases in the target … Read more