In the early hours of the morning, the latest meeting minutes released by the Federal Reserve attracted great attention from global financial markets, sending out a series of important signals about the future direction of monetary policy.
The minutes show that Fed officials have decided to slow down the pace of interest rate cuts in the coming months. This decision was made mainly based on two factors: on the one hand, the current inflation level is still higher than expected; on the other hand, there is great uncertainty about the potential impact of relevant policies on inflation after Trump took office. Fed officials generally believe that the current interest rate is close to or at a critical point where it is appropriate to slow down the interest rate cut. If the interest rate is cut too quickly, it is very likely to cause inflationary pressure to return.
However, there is not a "one-man show" within the Federal Reserve. A key figure in the Fed, Waller, publicly expressed a different viewpoint on January 8. He firmly believes that inflation will continue to decline steadily towards the 2% target, and therefore explicitly supports further interest rate cuts this year. In Waller's view, the current economic foundation in the U.S. is solid, the job market is performing well, and the actual impact of tariff policies on inflation and monetary policy is minimal.
From the overall analysis of the meeting minutes, most officials believe that interest rates have reached a certain level, and it is necessary to slow down the pace of rate cuts, as acting too quickly could lead to the risk of inflation rebounding. Officials also pointed out that although inflation will eventually approach the 2% target, this process may take longer than previously expected, and there is even a possibility of a stagnation in the anti-inflation process.
Many officials have also noticed that the risk of rising inflation is increasing. Recent high inflation data, potential changes in trade and immigration policies, geopolitical tensions, a loose financial environment, strong household spending, and rising housing prices are all seen as risk factors driving inflation upward.
In terms of employment, Federal Reserve officials expect the job market to remain relatively stable but still emphasize the need to closely monitor key indicators of the labor market. Notably, when the Federal Reserve announced a 25 basis point rate cut last month, some officials expressed opposition, highlighting significant divisions within the Fed on the issue of rate cuts.
Overall, the future direction of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy will be highly dependent on the dynamic changes in various economic data and will not follow a fixed timetable. This means that the market must always pay attention to economic data to better anticipate the Fed's next actions and their profound impact on global financial markets. What impact will the Fed's slowing rate cuts have on the global financial market?
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