U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had removed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent from consideration for an open seat on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, but said he would "very shortly" announce his choice. In an interview with CNBC, Trump said Fed Governor Adriana Kugler's decision to vacate her seat early was a "pleasant surprise." The departure of Kugler, whose term would have ended on January 31, appears to have accelerated Trump's planning for the U.S. central bank, giving him an immediate opening to fill with a person who could also be promoted to the top...
In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee said they should wait for things to get clearer when there is so much uncertainty. Key points "There has been a clear shift toward anxiety and anticipation of capital spending among business contacts." "The current conditions may be a shock to the economy depending on how long they last." "The Fed needs to be calm and take a long-term view of the economy." "Markets want information quickly but that's not realistic right now." "There's still a lot of strength in the economy right...
Will the Fed signal more or less rate cuts? Higher inflation expectations and dimmer growth prospects compete with each other. All eyes are on Chair Powell. Fed may opt for patience amid panicThe Federal Reserve (Fed) is projected to leave interest rates unchanged at its March meeting. However, every word that Chair Jerome Powell says and every change to the bank's forecasts are critical for markets. In the last "dot plot" in December, the bank signaled only two rate cuts are due in 2025, half of what it previously forecasted. That hawkish twist came as the economy looked strong and...
The United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) will announce its monetary policy decision and release its revised Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), known as the dot plot, after its March policy meeting on Wednesday. Market participants widely anticipate the US central bank to leave policy settings unchanged for the second straight meeting, after cutting interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) to a range of 4.25%-4.5% in December. The CME FedWatch Tool shows that investors see little chance of a rate cut in March while pricing in about a 30% chance of a 25 bps cut in May. Therefore, the...
The Bank of Japan kept its key policy rate unchanged, as authorities continued to assess the potential impact on the global economy from escalating trade tensions. Governor Kazuo Ueda's board voted to keep the policy rate at 0.5% Wednesday at the end of a two-day gathering, according to its statement. The result was in line with the expectations of all 52 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The central bank added a reference to the evolving situation regarding trade and other policies to its list of risks to the outlook. The stand-pat decision comes as domestic...
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday that the central bank can wait to see how President Donald Trump's aggressive policy actions play out before it moves again on interest rates. With markets nervous over Trump's proposals for tariffs and other issues, Powell reiterated statements he and his colleagues have made recently counseling patience on monetary policy amid the high level of uncertainty. The White House "is in the process of implementing significant policy changes in four distinct areas: trade, immigration, fiscal policy, and regulation," he said in a speech for the...
According to a statement by the Federal Reserve (Fed), Fed Chair Jerome Powell met with United States (US) President Donald Trump on Thursday, where the head of the Fed reiterated that the Fed's...
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) maintained its cash rate at 4.1% during its April meeting, holding borrowing costs unchanged after slashing 25 bps in the February meeting, aligning with market...