Category: FOMC

Federal Reserve Economists Still Expect a Recession Later This Year, FOMC Minutes Show

Federal Reserve economists still expect a recession starting later this year, according to minutes from the June Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy meetings. The economic forecast put together by staff at the policy meeting “continued to assume that the effects of the expected further tightening in bank credit conditions, amid already tight financial conditions”…


Federal Reserve Expects More Rate Hikes Ahead Amid ‘Upside Risks’ to Inflation: FOMC Minutes

Federal Reserve officials expect more rate hikes ahead, while some had advocated for a quarter-point increase at the June Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy meeting, according to new minutes. Rate-setting Committee members agreed that more rate increases are ahead but at a slower pace. They also found it acceptable or appropriate to leave the…


Federal Reserve Keeps Interest Rates Unchanged, Leaves Door Open to More Rate Hikes

For the first time in more than a year, the Federal Reserve has left interest rates unchanged but signaled that two more rate hikes are poised to happen this year. The benchmark federal funds rate held steady at a range of 5.00 and 5.25 percent, effectively ending the streak of ten consecutive rate hikes. “Holding…


Not Raising Debt Limit in ‘Timely Manner’ Could Harm Financial System: Fed Minutes

Not raising the debt limit in a “timely manner” could pose a substantial risk to the financial system and the broader U.S. economy, according to minutes from the May Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy meeting. FOMC participants assessed the Treasury Department’s forecast that the federal government would be unable to fully satisfy its obligations…


Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates by 25 Basis Points, Opens Door to Pause

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points, lifting the benchmark federal funds rate to a range of 5.00 and 5.25 percent, the highest level since September 2007. The vote to raise rates by a quarter point was unanimous, according to a statement from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). Markets had mostly…


Fed Expects Banking Crisis to Trigger Recession Later This Year, Minutes Reveal

Federal Reserve staff are projecting that the banking crisis would trigger a recession later this year, minutes from the March Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy meeting revealed. As expected, the turmoil in the banking sector was the main focus of last month’s policy meeting, with many Fed participants expressing concern that the collapse of…


US Banking System Is ‘Sound and Resilient,’ Says Fed Chair Powell

The U.S. banking system is “sound and resilient” as it maintains strong capital and liquidity conditions, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told reporters after the policy-making meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). Powell highlighted that the central bank took decisive actions with the Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in…


Fed Hikes Rates by a Quarter Percentage Point Despite Recent Bank Failures

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points, lifting the benchmark fed funds rate to a range of 4.75 percent and 5 percent, the highest since late 2007. Fed officials say that the “banking system is “sound and resilient,” adding that the recent developments “are likely to result in tighter conditions for households…


Depositors of Failed Banks Should Not Be Bailed Out: Reagan Economic Advisor

In the aftermath of two failed banks, the crypto-focused Signature Bank and the 16th largest U.S. depository Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), economists are questioning the role of the Federal Reserve in the banking crisis. Former economic advisor to President Reagan, Steve Hanke believes that the Fed’s contractionary policies have contributed to the current situation and…


Fed Raises Interest Rates by 0.5 Percentage Point to a 15-year High

The Federal Reserve voted to raise the benchmark federal funds rate by 50 basis points, to a target range of 4.25–4.5 percent at the December policy-setting meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the highest level since late 2007. In total, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates seven times since March, totaling 425…