The Federal Reserve's megaphone said before the meeting: After the rate cut in December, officials may be ready to slow down or even stop the rate cut
Nick Timiraos, a prominent Wall Street Journal reporter known as the Fed's mouthpiece, said in a recent article that the Fed's rate-cutting plan is constantly changing, and investors generally expect a third consecutive rate cut this week. After that, officials are ready to slow down or even stop cutting interest rates.
Nick Timiraos said Powell was trying to find his niche amid signs that the labor market is less wobbly and inflation is a little more solid than in September. Some officials are skeptical about continuing to cut interest rates, and officials who had strongly supported the previous two rate cuts are less convinced.
One option this week is to cut rates by 25 basis points, and then use the new economic forecasts to strongly suggest that the central bank is prepared to cut rates more slowly.