Consumer price increases eased to 7.7% in October, a sign that the persistent inflation that has plagued the U.S. economy is showing glimmers of cooling off, even as it remains near four-decade highs.
By raising interest rates, the central bank hopes it can make it more costly to borrow and invest, thereby cooling off further price increases.
Data show that both home prices and rents are on the decline, though there are often lags before they show up in official data.
But the inflation rate remains far above the Fed's 2% target, meaning aggressive actions by the central bank are likely to continue.
He added: “Despite a half-dozen interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, any broad-based, significant, and sustained easing of inflation pressures remains elusive.”