FOMC

Meeting minutes revealed by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) last week showed that the Federal Reserve could boost interest rates at its June meeting. Bond markets reacted accordingly. On May 17, Fed funds futures priced in just a 12 percent chance of a June rate hike. By May 18, that...

The latest FOMC minutes released this week suggest another small interest rate hike could be coming as soon as June. Wall Street and economics gurus love to make a fuss over the timing and potential implications of interest rate changes, but not every American is a bond trader, an economics...

In December, the Federal Reserve finally began its first interest rate tightening cycle since the Great Recession. With the timing of the next rate hike now a hot topic of debate among traders, Goldman Sachs analyst Jan Hatzius took a look back at past tightening cycles and how often they resulted...

Wednesday's FOMC Statement varied a bit from the March statement. One of the key changes happened in the second paragraph, in the last sentence. What the FOMC said in March: "The Committee continues to monitor inflation developments closely." What the FOMC added in April: "...

The Federal Reserve released its minutes from its most recent meeting. Perhaps of most interest to traders and investors, the policymakers debated the possibility of a rate hike in April. Naturally, the motion was not favored as it may have sent a wrong signal to market participants. "...

Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen said the central bank of the world's largest economy should exercise caution in proceeding with the monetary policy. "In particular, developments abroad imply that meeting our objectives for employment and inflation will likely require a somewhat lower path for...

James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, joined Tom Keene and Michael McKee on Bloomberg TV/Radio Wednesday. During the programming, Bullard discussed the macro-economic environment, the possibility of additional interest rate hikes this year, Federal policy and, in...

To little surprise, the Federal Reserve did not raise interest rates when the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met Wednesday. If there were any surprises, it is that the Fed appears to be on course for just two interest rate increases this year, half the number many market participants were...

The US FOMC is expected to announce a steady policy decision tomorrow afternoon, but that doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing ahead. In addition to its policy statement at 2 pm EDT, the Fed will also release its quarterly update of members’ economic estimates (SEP-Summary of...

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will hold a two-day meeting March 15–16, and the market is wondering whether the meeting will result in regulators hiking interest rates. While several analysts are of the view that a rate hike is unlikely this week, the Fed may hint that if the...

The Federal Reserve holds one of its most widely anticipated meetings in recent memory on Wednesday December 16 and while there is no such thing as a sure thing in financial markets, it would be surprising if the central bank does not proceed with its first rate hike in nine years this week. In...

Morgan Stanley anticipates a 0.25 percent Fed rate hike this week. The firm is more interested in the pace of the rate hikes over time than the date of the first move. Morgan Stanley projects that rates will reach 1.125 percent by the end of 2016. All eyes are on the FOMC this week as...

This week’s FOMC statement indicated fears over international developments have subsided. HSBC now predicts a slightly better than 50 percent chance of a December rate hike. The firm believes that employment and inflation reports between now and the December meeting will be the determining...

The United States Federal Reserve decided to keep rates unchanged during its October policy meeting, but in a statement issued by the bank, it sent its strongest signal yet that a rate hike could happen in December. The news was quickly absorbed by markets, which have been hanging on the Fed'...

To this point in Wednesday's session, stocks look to be finishing September in fine form, but even Wednesday's impressive rally will not be enough to erase the memory of what has been a dismal month for U.S. equities. September's reputation for being unkind to stocks was reaffirmed...