Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell explains the decision to leave the policy rate, federal funds rate, unchanged at the range of 5.25-5.5% and responds to questions in the post-meeting press conference.
Key quotes
"Discussed balance sheet at this meeting."
"We discussed issues related to slowing pace of decline in holdings."
"Our general sense is we will start run off fairly soon."
"Slowing pace of runoff will ensure smooth transition, mitigating chance of money market stress."
"Will limit risk to money market volatility."
"Economy is performing well."
"Projections do not mean higher tolerance for inflation."
"Inflation data came in a little bit higher than expected. Nevertheless, we continue to make good progress on bringing inflation down."
"There's some confidence that lower market rent increases in housing will show up over time."
"I assume we will continue to see goods prices continue into a new equilibrium."
"The risks are really two-sided now."
"First rate cut is therefore consequential."
"We can approach that question carefully and let the data speak."
"January CPI and PCE numbers were quite high but could have been due to seasonal adjustments."
"January inflation numbers were quite high but reason to think there were seasonal affects there."
"February was also high, but not terribly."
"Taking January and February together have not changed the overall story."
"It will be a bumpy path."
"Those January and February inflation numbers did not add to our confidence."
"We are not going to overreact to these two months of data; nor ignore them."
About Jerome Powell (via Federalreserve.gov)
"Jerome H. Powell first took office as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on February 5, 2018, for a four-year term. He was reappointed to the office and sworn in for a second four-year term on May 23, 2022. Mr. Powell also serves as Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee, the System's principal monetary policymaking body. Mr. Powell has served as a member of the Board of Governors since taking office on May 25, 2012, to fill an unexpired term. He was reappointed to the Board and sworn in on June 16, 2014, for a term ending January 31, 2028."
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
USD/JPY crashes nearly 450 pips to 155.50 on likely Japanese intervention
Having briefly recaptured 160.00, USD/JPY came under intense selling to test 155.00 on what seems like a Japanese FX intervention underway. The Yen tumbled in early trades amid news that Japan's PM lost 3 key seats in the by-election. Holiday-thinned trading exaggerates the USD/JPY price action.
AUD/USD rallies toward 0.6600 on risk flows, hawkish RBA expectations
AUD/USD extends gains toward 0.6600 in the Asian session on Monday. The Aussie pair is underpinned by increased bets of an RBA rate hike at its May policy meeting after the previous week's hot Australian CPI data. Risk flows also power the pair's upside.
Gold tests critical daily support line, will it defend?
Gold price is seeing a negative start to a new week on Monday, having booked a weekly loss. Gold price bears the brunt of resurgent US Dollar (USD) demand and a risk-on market mood amid Japanese holiday-thinned market conditions.
Ethereum fees drops to lowest level since October, ETH sustains above $3,200
Ethereum’s high transaction fees has been a sticky issue for the blockchain in the past. This led to Layer 2 chains and scaling solutions developing alternatives for users looking to transact at a lower cost.
Week ahead: Hawkish risk as Fed and NFP on tap, Eurozone data eyed too
Fed meets on Wednesday as US inflation stays elevated. Will Friday’s jobs report bring relief or more angst for the markets? Eurozone flash GDP and CPI numbers in focus for the Euro.