After weeks of speculation, the US Federal Reserve released their rate decision on Wednesday this week. Leading up to the decision, markets had been pricing a near 100% probability of a rate hike. Turns out they were correct all along. The Federal Reserve voted unanimously to raise the Federal Funds rate 0.25% – the first […]

US Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh is set to deliver a speech at the Kansas City Fed’s annual research symposium in Jackson Hole, WY on Friday 8.28. Over the years, market participants have been glued to this mountain town as this symposium always seems to come at an important time for markets. This year is no […]

The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate – keep prices stable (ie: fight inflation) and maintain full employment (ie: stabilize the labor market). In the past week, we received reports on both of these fronts. Last Friday, the July jobs report was released. Surprisingly, the US economy reported a loss of 23,000 in July. Expectations […]

After months (years?) of President Trump voicing his desires for a new Chairman of the Federal Reserve to take over for Jerome Powell, he’s about to get his wish. Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh attended Senate Confirmation hearings this week in Washington. Warsh spoke of many planned changes in terms of the Central Bank’s recent […]

The Federal Reserve Bank of the US held the fed funds rate steady at Wednesday’s meeting. The fed funds rate remain at 3.5-3.75%. This was the expectation in the market and as a result, the reaction to the news was relatively muted. Chairman Powell’s commentary focused on two distinct but closely intertwined topics (1) the […]

I’ve been writing about the US Federal Reserve (America’s Central Bank) quite a bit as of late. This week, the institution responsible for monetary policy in this country, found itself in the headlines for two major storylines. Powell’s Jackson Hole Speech On Friday August 22nd, Fed Chairman Powell gave a speech at an annual symposium […]

This past week, Wednesday June 12th was a big news day for markets. It doesn’t happen often that a monthly inflation report (Consumer Price Index) and a Federal Reserve Rate announcement happen on the same day, but that is in fact what occurred this week. The result? Happy markets and happy investors. Let’s start with […]

While most of America was focused on setting their NCAA brackets earlier this week, market watchers were placing “bets” of their own on the Federal Reserve and the path of interest rates. As was widely expected, on Wednesday the Federal Reserve once again left rates unchanged (leaving the Federal Funds rate range at 5.25-5.5%). They […]

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testified in front of the House Financial Services Committee for two days this past week. These briefings have become “must see TV” for market watchers as the question of 2024 remains – will the Federal Reserve cut interest rates this year, and if so when and by how much? Powell […]

The Federal Open Market Committee released the minutes from their latest meeting this week. As with all meetings, these recorded details of the actual conservations given market participants a bit more color regarding what the interest-rate setting body is thinking. These minutes covered the proceedings from January 30-31, 2024. There were a few interesting takeaways […]