Jerome Jay Powell, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, is about to become the most important economic policymaker in the world. At least that's how one senator put it at Powell's confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday.
United States interest rates are likely to rise again next month and a further three times next year, one of the Federal Reserve's rate-setters has said. John Williams, who sits on the lliams, advanced a rate rise in December makes sense, at least based on the information I have today.
President Donald Trump has said he will announce on Thursday his choice to lead the seven/member Federal Reserve board beginning in February. Jerome Powell, a Fed board member, is assumed to be the top contender and Trump anticipated that “I think you will be extremely impressed by this person”.
The Federal Reserve has started to run down some of the investments it made to boost the US economy after the financial crisis. The Fed holds a US$4.2trn portfolio of US Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities, and it will initially cut up to US$10bn each month from the amount it reinvests.
The United States Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer will resign next month for personal reasons, leaving a fourth vacancy on the seven-member Fed governing board. Fischer is a widely-respected economist who taught at MIT, was head of the Bank of Israel for eight years and vice chairman at Citigroup.
The Euro has hit US$1.20 for the first time since January 2015 as the prospect of a US interest rate rise recedes. Hurricane Harvey's impact has led analysts to assume the US central bank will not want to risk curbing economic growth and fears over North Korea's activities have unnerved investors.
Leaders of the U.S. central bank said Wednesday that they were holding their benchmark lending rate at a low level — in a range between 1 and 1.25% — for the time being. Federal Reserve officials said in a report issued after their two-day policy meeting that the world's largest economy was growing at a moderate pace and the job market was improving, but that inflation remained a bit low.
The United States debt level reached a record high this year, surpassing the peak touched just as the worst of the recession was taking hold in 2008, and marking a milestone for households that now lean less on mortgages and more on auto and student loans
The Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday that it held its benchmark interest rate after a two-day policy meeting, as had widely been expected. And it added that the recent showdown in US growth is likely temporary.
President Donald Trump has said his administration will not label China a currency manipulator, rowing back on a campaign promise. The US president also left open the possibility of re-nominating Janet Yellen as the head of the Federal Reserve, despite having criticized her.