Fed reveals latest decision on rates

It
also
hinted
at
its
readiness
to
begin
hiking
rates
again
if
risks
to
its
inflation
goals
emerge.
“The
Committee
would
be
prepared
to
adjust
the
stance
of
monetary
policy
as
appropriate
if
risks
emerge
that
could
impede
the
attainment
of
the
Committee’s
goals,”
it
said.

Key
inflation
measures
have
ticked
upwards
in
recent
weeks,
helping
lower
speculation
of
a
possible
imminent
rate
cut
by
the
Fed.
At
last
reading,
the
so-called
core
consumer
price
index,
which
excludes
food
and
energy
costs,
had
increased
by
0.4%
month-over-month
and
3.8%
on
a
yearly
basis.

Job
growth
in
the
US,
meanwhile,
exceeded
expectations
in
March
as
the
labor
market
posted
a
solid
all-round
performance
in
the
first
quarter,
suggesting
continuing
robustness
despite
a
15-month
campaign
of
rate
hikes
by
the
Fed
which
only
ended
in
July
of
last
year.

Those
developments
have
seen
markets
dial
down
the
likelihood
of
a
Fed
cut
–
with
some
analysts
even
suggesting
that
a
further
hike
could
be
on
the
way
before
the
end
of
the
year
if
inflation
starts
to
balloon
again.

In
early
April,
Federal
Reserve
Bank
of
Dallas
president
Lorie
Logan
warned
it
was
premature
to
consider
lowering
interest
rates
and

expressed
her
growing
concern
that
progress
on
bringing
down
inflation
could
stall.