U.S. Economy

Fed Chair Powell Left Open Possibility Of Hiking More Aggressively Should Inflation Persist

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday he still sees interest rate hikes ahead though he noted the “implications for the U.S. economy are highly uncertain” from the Ukraine war.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday he still sees interest rate hikes ahead though he noted the “implications for the U.S. economy are highly uncertain” from the Ukraine war. Powell called the labor market “extremely tight” and said inflation has risen well above the Fed’s 2% target.

“The implications for the U.S. economy are highly uncertain, and we will be monitoring the situation closely,” Powell said. “The near-term effects on the U.S. economy of the invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing war, the sanctions, and of events to come, remain highly uncertain,” he added. “Making appropriate monetary policy in this environment requires a recognition that the economy evolves in unexpected ways. We will need to be nimble in responding to incoming data and the evolving outlook.”

His remarks were part of a series of scheduled appearances this week before House and Senate committees in Congress. Powell said he sees a number of quarter-percentage-point increases coming, though he left open the possibility of moving more aggressively should inflation persist.

U.S. Economy

Federal Open Market Committee Decided to Hike Key Rate by 25 BP, Blamed Elevated Inflation and Geopolitics

In line with consensus expectations, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) raised the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points at its meeting on March 15-16, 2022.

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Covid Aid Dropped From U.S. Lawmakers’ Big Spending Deal

U.S. lawmakers late Wednesday passed a massive new bill that would fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year, as well as further aid Ukraine, but a last-minute snag resulted in Covid-19 money being dropped.