Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged at their June meeting on Wednesday and predicted that they will cut borrowing costs just once before the end of 2024, taking a cautious approach as they try to avoid declaring a premature victory over inflation.
While the Fed had been expected to leave rates unchanged, its projections for how interest rates may evolve surprised many economists.
When Fed officials last released quarterly economic estimates in March, they anticipated cutting interest rates three times this year.
Investors had expected them to revise that outlook somewhat this time, in light of stubborn inflation early in 2024, but the shift to a single cut was more drastic.
Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, made clear in a postmeeting news conference that officials were taking a careful and conservative approach after months of bumpy inflation data.
Persons:
Jerome H, Powell
Organizations:
Federal Reserve, Investors