There were signs of cooling with annual wages rising at a slower pace and labor force participation rate edged up ever so slightly. All these items played a role in how consumers spend their money.
A key gauge of US inflation cooled last month by more than expected and consumer spending stabilized, suggesting the Federal Reserve may be close to ending its most aggressive cycle of interest-rate hikes in decades. Excluding food and energy, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures price index — rose 0.3% in February after the prior month was revised down slightly.
On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided in a unanimous vote to raise the guidance for its fed funds rate to 4.75%-5.00% from 4.50%-4.75%, a raise of 25 basis points (0.25%). This is the highest level for the fed’s benchmark since September 2007.
Hard to believe but two weeks ago, most people outside the financial world did not know a certain California bank even existed.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell spoke to the imbalance in testimony before the Senate on Tuesday, saying that the central bank could raise rates higher and potentially faster than previously thought should economic data continue to come in strong.
A gauge of manufacturing improved for the first time in six months, though activity remained in contraction territory amid fragile demand and growing inflationary pressures. The Institute for Supply Management’s gauge of factory activity ticked up to 47.7 in February from the weakest print since May 2020.