Help power Marketplace this winter when you support the show today. Donate Now!

Look for predictability in the Fed's interest rate decision next week

Oct 29, 2024
While there's a lot of new economic data coming out between now and then, it will probably be relevant for later Fed meetings.
The Fed under Chair Jerome Powell, above, has a pattern: Set expectations and follow through.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Why is the Fed still so cautious about interest rates?

Jun 13, 2024
Despite the CPI coming in unexpectedly low, the Federal Reserve needs more convincing that inflation is really getting better.
"Consumers change their buying habits, they move from steak to chicken, from the upper shelf down to the lower shelf," said Dan North with Allianz Trade about inflation.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Fed expected to leave benchmark rate unchanged at June meeting. Is that risky?

Jun 10, 2024
The latest jobs report is unlikely to change the Fed's mind when they meet Tuesday and Wednesday.
The latest jobs report is unlikely to change the Fed's mind when they meet Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

The European Central Bank cut interest rates. What does that mean for the Fed?

Jun 6, 2024
When the Fed meets next week, they will be more focused on what's happening here in the United States.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

When will rates go down? The answer rests on conflicting economic data.

Apr 4, 2024
The numbers are sending positive and negative signs, making the future of inflation, and the timing of Fed interest rate cuts, uncertain.
The numbers paint a mixed picture of the economy, so Federal Reserve officials seem to be waiting for clarity.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Interest rates worldwide might start falling as central banks meet this week

Mar 18, 2024
Switzerland may be the first to start rolling back the recent round of rate hikes.
The European Central Bank is expected to be among the first central banks to start cutting rates, says Sharyn O’Halloran at Columbia Business School.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

Fed leaves interest rates unchanged, signals cuts are likely months away

Jan 31, 2024
“We want to see strong growth and a strong labor market,” said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
 Investors were hoping for a cut in March, but that now appears off the table.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Why traders will be hanging on the Federal Reserve's every word Wednesday

Jan 30, 2024
The committee that sets interest rates is meeting this week, and the big question is whether — and when — they'll start cutting.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Some investors view the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions and public statements as a "weather report" on where the economy is headed.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

If the Federal Reserve had a word of the year, what would it be?

Dec 13, 2023
We asked economists to give us a word of the year for 2023 that summed up the zeitgeist for monetary policy.
Economist Skanda Amarnath at Employ America says "fortunate" is the word he'd use to describe the Fed's 2023.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

What the Fed's Summary of Economic Projections can reveal

Sep 20, 2023
The quarterly report gives clues about how members of the Federal Open Market Committee see the economy and what future steps they might take.
In addition to an announcement on interest rates, the Federal Reserve will release its Summary of Economic Projections on Wednesday.
Win McNamee/Getty Images