The Blubber

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve gave a lukewarm indication that it might have finished increasing interest rates, yet emphasized that it has not begun considering rate cuts.

In a notably revised conclusion from its two-day meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee altered its previous stance, which had suggested a continued rise in interest rates to tackle inflation and achieve the Fed's 2% inflation target.

Nevertheless, the Committee mentioned that there's no intention to lower rates at the moment, given that inflation remains above its desired level. The announcement provided a vague hint at halting rate hikes, mentioning only the criteria for future "adjustments" in policy.

The statement articulated, “The Committee anticipates that it will not lower the target range until it is more assured that inflation is on a consistent path back to 2 percent.”

Although the statement streamlined the considerations for policy evaluation, it didn't categorically exclude the possibility of further rate increases. A significant alteration was the omission of the delayed impact of monetary policy from its considerations, acknowledging that policy adjustments typically take 12 to 18 months to manifest their effects.

“In any adjustments to the federal funds rate target range, the Committee will meticulously evaluate incoming data, the changing economic outlook, and the balance of risks,” the statement declared, replacing previous language that listed multiple factors such as the overall tightening of monetary policy, the time it takes for monetary policy to influence the economy and inflation, and economic and financial developments.