Author: Steve Matthews
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Analysis: Trump attacks on Fed could backfire, boosting Powell’s support
President Donald Trump’s attacks on the Federal Reserve may hold a silver lining for Chairman Jerome Powell: preserving unity among colleagues who can sometimes go rogue. America’s central bankers have a strong culture of closing ranks during times of strain to defend the chair and preserve institutional independence. Even though there’s an argument for holding…
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Fed minutes seen setting up December even before election bump
Minutes of the Federal Reserve’s November policy meeting are likely to confirm that officials were creeping closer to their first interest-rate increase in a year before the Nov. 8 election, and developments since have only served to bolster the case for a hike. The record of the Nov. 1-2 meeting, during which policymakers left the…
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December rate hike on track as Fed avoids politics
Federal Reserve policymakers are a bunch of “incredibly nerdy” technocrats who never discuss politics in their meetings, according to a senior official, while his colleague said the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president shouldn’t delay an interest-rate increase next month. “I am not seeing enough volatility here to change my basic projection for the…
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Fed minutes could show strength of hawkish rebel camp in FOMC
Minutes of the Federal Reserve’s September policy meeting could illuminate the degree of pressure Chair Janet Yellen faced from officials eager to raise interest rates, insights that could help guide expectations on the likelihood of a hike by year-end. The record of the meeting, during which policymakers left the federal funds rate in a range…