Former White House economic advisor says more Fed hiking is coming
Former White House economist Kevin Hassett predicts that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again due to increasing inflation and energy prices.
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Posted 8/29/2023, 5:30:27 PM
cnbc.com
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The majority of economists polled by Reuters predict that the U.S. Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates again, and they expect the central bank to wait until at least the end of March before cutting them, as the probability of a recession within a year falls to its lowest level since September 2022.
Experts are divided on whether the US Federal Reserve should raise its interest rate target to 3% to combat inflation and cushion against recessions, with some arguing that raising inflation targets would be futile.
Former St. Louis Fed chief James Bullard warns that stronger economic growth in the US may necessitate higher interest rates to combat inflation.
Two Federal Reserve officials suggest that interest-rate increases may be coming to an end, but one of them believes that further hikes may still be necessary depending on inflation trends.
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Patrick Harker does not believe that the U.S. central bank will need to increase interest rates again and suggests holding steady to see how the economy responds, stating that the current restrictive stance should bring inflation down.
Two officials at the Federal Reserve have expressed differing views on whether or not the central bank should raise its benchmark interest rate again to combat inflation, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding future rate hikes, with more clarity expected from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming speech at a Fed conference in Jackson Hole.
Two Federal Reserve officials, Boston Fed President Susan Collins and Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker, suggested that the Fed may be nearing the end of interest rate increases, although Collins did not rule out the possibility of further hikes if inflation doesn't decline.
The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia believes that the US central bank has already raised interest rates enough to bring inflation down to pre-pandemic levels of around 2%.
The dollar is expected to continue strengthening as bond yields rise, with the Fed likely to hike rates at least once more this year, and a barrage of economic data this week will heavily influence Fed policy decisions and impact the direction of the dollar and interest rates.
The Bank of England may have to increase interest rates if the US Federal Reserve decides to raise rates to cut inflation, in order to prevent the pound from weakening and inflation from rising further.
The former president of the Boston Fed suggests that the Federal Reserve can stop raising interest rates if the labor market and economic growth continue to slow at the current pace.
The latest inflation data suggests that price increases are cooling down, increasing the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged in their upcoming meeting.
The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge increased slightly in July, suggesting that the fight against inflation may be challenging, but the absence of worse news indicates that officials are likely to maintain interest rates.
Mortgage rates have increased over the past week, with the average interest rates for 15-year fixed and 30-year fixed mortgages rising, while the average rate for 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgages declined; the Federal Reserve's efforts to control inflation by raising the federal funds rate may impact mortgage rates, but experts suggest that the markets have already factored in the increase.
Bond traders are anticipating that the Federal Reserve will continue with interest-rate hikes, and next week's consumer-price index report will provide further insight on how much more tightening may be required to control inflation.
Rising energy costs are predicted to contribute to an increase in inflation rate, but it is unlikely to prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, though there may be another rate hike in the future.
Stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data, including a rise in producer prices and retail sales, has sparked concerns about sticky inflation and has reinforced the belief that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer.
Economist Campbell Harvey warns that the Federal Reserve should not raise rates later this year, as he believes a recession may occur in 2024 due to an inverted yield curve and potential distortions in Bureau of Labor Statistics and GDP figures.
New research suggests that elevated interest rates may not have been the main cause of the decline in inflation, sparking a debate about whether the Federal Reserve needs to raise rates again.
Goldman Sachs strategists predict that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise interest rates at its upcoming meeting, but expect the central bank to increase its economic growth projections and make slight adjustments to its interest rate projections.
A survey conducted by Bloomberg shows that most economists expect the Federal Reserve to hold interest rates steady until May and project one additional rate increase this year, although they do not believe the Fed will actually implement another increase.
The Federal Reserve faces the challenge of bringing down inflation to its target of 2 percent, with differing opinions on whether they will continue to raise interest rates or pause due to weakening economic indicators such as drops in mortgage rates and auto sales.
The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates unchanged at its meeting this week, but investors will be paying close attention to any indications of future rate increases as the central bank continues its fight against inflation.
The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates steady and signal that it is done raising rates for this economic cycle, as the bond market indicates that inflation trends are moving in the right direction.
The Federal Reserve's continued message of higher interest rates is expected to impact Treasury yields and the U.S. dollar, with the 10-year Treasury yield predicted to experience a slight increase and the U.S. dollar expected to edge higher.
The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady but left room for potential rate hikes, as they see progress in fighting inflation and aim to bring it down to the target level of 2 percent; however, officials projected a higher growth rate of 2.1 percent for this year and suggested that core inflation will hit 3.7 percent this year before falling in 2024 and reaching the target range by 2026.
The Federal Reserve's plans for prolonged elevated interest rates may continue to put pressure on stocks and bonds, although some investors doubt that the central bank will follow through with its projections.
Billionaire investor Jeff Gundlach predicts another rate increase by the Federal Reserve due to a surge in oil prices, which is expected to rekindle inflation pressures.
Federal Reserve policymakers Governor Michelle Bowman and Boston Fed President Susan Collins expressed the need to keep interest rates elevated to combat inflation, with Bowman suggesting further rate hikes will likely be needed to bring inflation down to the Fed's 2% target and Collins stating that further tightening is not off the table as progress in battling inflation has been slow.
Two former Federal Reserve policymakers disagree on whether the central bank should raise interest rates, with one saying rates have likely peaked and the other saying they need to be raised further, but both agree that achieving a soft landing for the economy is unlikely.