Fed meets this week to assess inflation fight

Dec 11, 2023
Consumers are now more upbeat, convinced inflation is heading down, according to the University of Michigan Consumer Survey for December.
Whatever officials at the Federal Reserve think about their inflation fight, consumers appear to have decided they’ve won.
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Pandemic stimulus spending boosted the economy. What happens now that it's over?

Nov 13, 2023
The government's fiscal policy is fairly neutral now for a reason: More stimulus spending could hurt the Fed's fight against inflation.
You can think of the Federal Reserve's current fiscal policy as pretty neutral, says Michael Pugliese, senior economist with Wells Fargo.
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Why are long-term bond yields so high? Even Jerome Powell wants to know

Nov 10, 2023
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said that we “don’t really know” why long-term bond yields have been going up.
Hasn't Powell been listening to "Marketplace?"
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell called the current economy resilient. Whether it actually is depends on how you define resilience.
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Why the Treasury Department's borrowing plan may overshadow Jay Powell's news conference

Nov 1, 2023
As the Fed wraps up its two-day meeting, economists are looking to the Treasury Department for details on how the federal government plans to borrow money through the end of the year.
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Japan loosens its grip on long-term interest rates

Oct 31, 2023
The Bank of Japan’s "yield curve control policy" could be on its way out as central banks around the world raise rates to beat inflation.
Until recently, the Bank of Japan was trying to keep interest rates on bonds low to stimulate the economy. Above, the Bank of Japan building.
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Federal Reserve losses contribute to federal deficit

Oct 24, 2023
When the central bank makes money, it hands it to the Treasury. But now it's losing money as it pays interest to banks on their deposits.
The Fed is, among other things, a bank for banks, and it pays interest to those banks. Those interest rates have gone up. Above, the Eccles building, which houses Fed governors' offices.
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Why are bond yields so high right now?

Oct 23, 2023
The yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly hit 5%, the highest level since 2007. A resilient economy and expanding debt are pushing rates up.
For a while, bond markets expected a weaker economy and possible rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2024.
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Fed chair Powell's latest speech hints at caution regarding interest rates

Oct 20, 2023
Jerome Powell spoke Oct. 19 and said the Federal Open Market Committee would be "proceeding carefully."
“Given the uncertainties and risks, and given how far we’ve come, the committee is proceeding carefully," Powell said.
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Will high yields on the 10-year T-note jeopardize the "soft landing"?

Oct 4, 2023
The yield hit a 16-year record Tuesday. Could that mean trouble for the Federal Reserve's effort to cool inflation and prevent a recession?
It has long been said that if you want to know where the economy is headed, look at the bond market. Could the bond market be wrong this time?
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