Fed Officials Showing Caution, Even As Some Call for December Rate Cut

– Goolsbee, Hammack, Cook All Uneasy About Moving Again Next Month – Waller Strongly Supports December Rate Cut By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – With the Federal Reserve’s last monetary policy meeting of the year just three weeks away, many Fed officials are exhibiting greater reluctance to continue interest rate reductions, while some continue to […]

TRANSCRIPT: Fed Chair Powell Says December Rate Cut ‘Not a Foregone Conclusion’

–‘Strongly Differing Views’ About December FOMC WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is a transcript of most of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s Wednesday post-FOMC meeting news conference: … Beyond the next year or two, or so; however, most measures of longer-term expectations remain consistent with our 2% inflation goal. For monetary policy actions are guided […]

Powell Cites ‘Significant Downside Risks’ To Jobs; Puts Less Emphasis On Inflation

– Can’t Ease Too Quickly, But Easing Too Slowly Would Mean ‘Painful” Job Losses By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell avoided giving an overt signal about what the Fed will do with interest rates later this month, but clearly leaned toward greater concern about a softening labor market than about […]

BofA Global Research: Managers Dumped Bonds in October Despite Expectations of Rate Cuts

By Vicki Schmelzer NEW YORK (MaceNews) –  Global investors dumped bonds in October, despite expectations of future Fed cuts and continued concern about rising inflation, according to Bank of America Global Research’s monthly fund manager survey, released Tuesday. In October, a net 24% of portfolio managers were underweight bonds, versus a net 3% underweight in […]

Fed Officials Wrestle with Appropriate Policy Path amid Data Fog

By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – As they move closer to their penultimate monetary policy meeting of the year later this month, Federal Reserve policymakers continue to give mixed signals on the path of interest rates. While there have been overt calls for additional rate cuts, and while some officials have indicated an openness to […]