All posts tagged "Rate"

Washington (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve is poised to announce a fresh quarter percentage-point hike to its benchmark lending rate on Wednesday to tackle inflation, while keeping the option open for more such moves in the coming months. The Fed last month halted its aggressive campaign of monetary tightening after 10 consecutive rate increases to give policymakers more time to assess the health of the world's largest economy. At the June meeting, members of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) nevertheless indicated they see possibly two additional interest rate hikes this ye......

Washington (AFP) - After pausing in June, the US Federal Reserve is widely expected to hike interest rates again on Wednesday, adopting its most restrictive monetary stance for 22 years despite recent signs of slowing inflation. After 10 consecutive hikes in just over a year, the Fed halted its aggressive campaign of monetary tightening last month to give policymakers more time to assess the health of the US economy, and the impact of recent banking stresses on lending conditions. In the weeks since, positive upgrades to economic growth and cooler inflation data have reinforced the likelihood ......

Washington (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to pause its campaign of interest rate increases on Wednesday to give policymakers more time to assess the economic impact of existing hikes and recent banking stresses. But members of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) remain divided going into the meeting on June 13-14, with a minority still pushing for an 11th straight hike to fight inflation, which remains stubbornly above the Fed's long-term target of two percent.  The Fed has raised its benchmark lending rate by five percentage points since March last year, l......

Washington (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise its benchmark lending rate for a tenth -- and possibly final -- time on Wednesday, as it continues its fight against high inflation.  The US central bank is likely to take this decision despite growing signs that the American economy is slowing down, with many economists predicting the US will enter a mild recession later this year.  Analysts and traders expect the Fed to hike interest rates by 25 basis points and then hold them high in a bid to bring inflation back towards its long-term target of two percent without spurrin......

Washington (AFP) - The United States will require further interest rate hikes in order to cool the world's largest economy and rein in high prices, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said Thursday. As US annual inflation has soared to the fastest in 40 years, the Fed has moved aggressively this year to tamp down demand, raising the interest rates five times, for a total of three percentage points. And the central bank has said more increases are likely to come this year. "Inflation remains stubbornly and unacceptably high, and data over the past few months show that inflationary pressures rema......

Washington (AFP) - The Federal Reserve is poised to unleash another massive interest rate increase this week after the latest data showed a worrying US inflation picture, which confirmed the need for the central bank to continue to act aggressively. Soaring prices have pushed annual inflation to a 40-year high, inflicting pain on American consumers and businesses, despite the welcome drop in gasoline prices at the pump in recent weeks. The disappointing consumer price report for August, released last week, showed housing, food and medical costs continued to rise. And when volatile food and ene......