All articles tagged with #federal reserve system
Fed left rates unchanged for the fifth straight meeting amid stubborn inflation and internal divisions; three officials had argued for hikes, while markets sold off with stocks down and yields up as Warsh, in his second term as chair, weighs data before any future move (potential September hike).
A Federal Reserve economist finds that the traditional owner-occupancy rate—often used to gauge how many Americans own homes—underestimates ownership because many people live in homes owned by family or friends. When counting people in owner-occupied homes (the ‘household ownership’ metric), Wyoming and Maine rise to the top, while the old leader West Virginia (about 75% owner-occupied) and nearby Delaware fall in the rankings, with Delaware dropping to 16th. Hawaii has the largest gap between the two measures due to high housing costs and multigenerational households. The Washington Post links to the full state-by-state rankings for both measures.
Trump is pressing for lower interest rates, but a growing chorus of Federal Reserve policymakers signals the next move could be higher rates if inflation remains broad-based, with officials like Hammack, Logan and others hinting at hikes even as markets pricing show a plausible September increase after a likely July pause.
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has tapped venture investor Marc Andreessen to co-lead a task force on productivity and jobs to evaluate how AI and other technologies should inform monetary-policy judgments, part of Warsh’s overhaul of the Fed. Andreessen joins Stanford economist Charles I. Jones and Microsoft executive Asha Sharma on the leadership slate, as the central bank weighs AI’s potential disinflationary productivity effects and how tech-driven gains could shape policy.
The Washington Post Editorial Board argues that a Supreme Court ruling blocking President Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook without due process reinforces the separation of powers, showing that presidential power has limits and preserving Fed independence amid political pressure.
Global investors pushed the dollar to a 13-month high on the allure of the U.S. AI boom and the prospect of higher interest rates, with bets on a Fed move later this year overshadowing concerns about Trump’s policymaking.
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman spoke at a private Bank of America dinner during the Fed’s quiet period, a time when officials are restricted from public engagements. Bowman said no monetary policy was discussed, but the private event with a major client group has raised ethics concerns and questions about whether the rules were breached.
Trump’s new Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh faces a dilemma as inflation sits at a three-year high and the president expects lower borrowing costs; at his first policy meeting, Warsh may have to raise interest rates to curb inflation, testing the Fed’s independence and his alignment with Trump.
Sen. Thom Tillis said the DOJ has ended its criminal probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, removing a key obstacle and allowing Republicans to push Kevin Warsh’s nomination to lead the Fed; a Senate Banking Committee vote on Warsh's confirmation is expected soon as the party seeks to move forward after the Powell investigation closed.
Prosecutors sought access to the Federal Reserve building amid a DOJ probe into a $2.5 billion Fed renovation, as President Donald Trump again threatens to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell once his term as chair ends next month; Powell says he will remain as chair until a successor is confirmed and argues the investigation is a pretext to undermine Fed independence. The situation unfolds against broader debates about the Fed’s autonomy and comes as the Supreme Court weighs a separate case involving another central bank governor, Lisa Cook.
President Trump threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he doesn’t step down and refused to halt the Justice Department’s probe into the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation, a move that tests the central bank’s independence and complicates Powell’s departure timeline and the nomination process for his replacement.
As Powell’s term as Fed chair expires on May 15, the Trump administration appears poised to challenge his plan to stay on as acting chair if Senate Republicans do not confirm Kevin Warsh, setting up a confrontation over who leads the Fed and potentially shaping its policy path depending on Warsh’s fate.
Jerome Powell said he would remain Fed chair past his term’s mid-May end if a successor hasn’t been confirmed by the Senate, and would stay on the Fed board until any criminal probe is resolved, effectively blocking President Trump’s efforts to force a leadership shakeup at the central bank.
New Commerce Department data trim Q4 2025 GDP growth to 0.7% annualized, far slower than the prior 1.4% advance estimate, while January inflation remains stubborn with core PCE at 3.1% and overall PCE near 2.8%, signaling persistent price pressures even as oil prices rise with the Iran conflict; the weaker momentum before the conflict complicates the Fed’s effort to cool inflation without tipping the economy into recession, and markets priced in potential rate cuts later in the year.
Inflation in February rose 2.4% year over year, the same pace as January, but the measure does not capture a coming surge in energy costs tied to the U.S.–Israel campaign against Iran; gasoline, airline and shipping costs are rising, placing pressure on the Fed and policymakers.