FOMC Holds Funds Rate Steady
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
- Federal funds rate range remains at 5.25% - 5.50%, where it’s been since early-August 2023.
- Rate stays at highest level since March 2001.
- Fed maintains focus on inflation reduction.
At today’s meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the target range for the Federal funds rate was left unchanged at 5.25% - 5.50%. Each member of the FOMC voted in favor of today’s action.
The statement following today’s meeting began, “Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace. Job gains have remained strong, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Inflation has eased over the past year but remains elevated. In recent months, there has been modest further progress toward the Committee's 2 percent inflation objective.”
The Fed continued to mention reducing inflation as its primary goal. “The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. The Committee judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals have moved toward better balance over the past year. The economic outlook is uncertain, and the Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks.”
“In addition, the Committee will continue reducing its holdings of Treasury securities and agency debt and agency mortgage backed securities. The Committee is strongly committed to returning inflation to its 2 percent objective.”
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
More Economy in Brief
Global
