The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced that it was again leaving interest rates unchanged, continuing a pause in lieu of cutting rates as inflation continues to burden American consumers and businesses.
In its statement, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said it was keeping rates at "5-1/4 to 5-1/2 percent" citing inflation that "remains elevated" and an "uncertain" economic outlook.
Federal Open Market Committee statement: https://t.co/gfYfMP9wp3 #FOMC
— Federal Reserve (@federalreserve) June 12, 2024
The Fed's decision means the projections issued at the end of 2023 calling for as many as five rate cuts in 2024 were overly rosy pipe dreams that wrongly assumed the effects of the Democrats' spending binge would subside. Now, it seems there's hope for just one cut this year, according to the latest projections from the FOMC.
Since President Joe Biden took office, the Fed has raised interest rates to the highest level since early 2001 in its faltering attempt to wrangle inflation down to a goal of just 2.0 percent. According to the May Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released earlier on Wednesday, the last 12 months saw inflation rise 3.3 percent.
As usual, the FOMC said the following about its future interest rate decisions:
In assessing the appropriate stance of monetary policy, the Committee will continue to monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook. The Committee would be prepared to adjust the stance of monetary policy as appropriate if risks emerge that could impede the attainment of the Committee's goals. The Committee's assessments will take into account a wide range of information, including readings on labor market conditions, inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and financial and international developments.
In remarks Wednesday afternoon, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated his belief that it would not be appropriate to reduce interest rates until there's more confidence that there's been progress toward reducing inflation — a refutation of President Biden's claims that inflation is already coming down.
Powell also explained that the Fed projects core PCE inflation to end the calendar year at its current rate — which, if true, would mean there will be no more progress toward reducing inflation in the remaining half of 2024.
This is a developing story and may be updated.