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Jerome Powell

May 13, 2020

Powell warns of a possible sustained recession from pandemic

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned Wednesday of the threat of a prolonged recession resulting from the viral outbreak and urged Congress and the White House to act further to prevent long-lasting economic damage. The Fed and Congress have taken far-reaching steps to try to counter what is likely to be a severe downturn resulting […]

Mar 4, 2020

Fed’s Powell faces a puzzling crisis with no simple solution

Jerome Powell is confronting his stiffest test yet as head of the Federal Reserve in an atmosphere vastly altered from what his predecessors faced. It makes an uncertain situation even more challenging. This week, Powell announced a surprise half-point interest rate cut that shrank the Fed’s key rate to a range of just 1 percent […]

Feb 11, 2020

Powell: Economy looks resilient despite risk of China virus

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the U.S. economy appears durable with steady growth and unemployment near a half-century low but faces risks from the deadly virus in China. Giving the Fed’s semiannual monetary report to Congress, Powell said Tuesday the Fed is content with where interest rates are, suggesting that no further rate cuts […]

Feb 11, 2020

Powell: Economy looks resilient despite risk of China virus

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the U.S. economy appears durable with steady growth and unemployment near a half-century low but faces risks from the deadly virus in China. Giving the Fed’s semiannual monetary report to Congress, Powell said Tuesday the Fed is content with where interest rates are, suggesting that no further rate cuts […]

Feb 7, 2020

Fed signals steady interest rates as economic risks lessen

The Federal Reserve believes that downside risks to the U.S. economy have lessened with the easing of trade tensions and better prospects for global growth but officials note a concern that possible spillovers from a deadly virus in China represent a new threat. In its semi-annual monetary policy report released Friday, the Fed did not […]

Feb 7, 2020

Fed signals steady interest rates as economic risks lessen

The Federal Reserve believes that downside risks to the U.S. economy have lessened with the easing of trade tensions and better prospects for global growth but officials note a concern that possible spillovers from a deadly virus in China represent a new threat. In its semi-annual monetary policy report released Friday, the Fed did not […]

Oct 8, 2019

Fed’s odd dilemma: Low unemployment but pressure to do more

With the nation’s unemployment rate at its lowest point since human beings first walked on the moon, you might expect the Federal Reserve to be raising interest rates to keep the economy from overheating and igniting inflation. That’s what the rules of economics would suggest. Yet the Fed is moving in precisely the opposite direction: […]

Oct 8, 2019

Fed’s odd dilemma: Low unemployment but pressure to do more

With the nation’s unemployment rate at its lowest point since human beings first walked on the moon, you might expect the Federal Reserve to be raising interest rates to keep the economy from overheating and igniting inflation. That’s what the rules of economics would suggest. Yet the Fed is moving in precisely the opposite direction: […]

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