Skip to main content

Another big Fed rate hike is here to battle inflation. Economy hangs in balance!

 With prices rising at their fastest pace in a generation, the Federal Reserve is ratcheting up its fight against inflation.

On Wednesday, the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate by an additional three-quarters of a percentage point. This is the fourth time the central bank has raised rates this year.

Federal Reserve

It follows an increase of the same size in June — rate hikes at this pace and magnitude have not occurred since the late 1980s.

Despite these fast and furious moves, the central bank has its work cut out for it. Its goal is to rein in inflation without kickstarting a recession.

"The labor market is extremely tight, and inflation is much too high," Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference, where he explained the "unusually large" move up in rates.

He and his colleagues are trying to fight inflation by tackling demand. They are pushing up the cost of of credit — what consumers and companies pay to borrow money — and they are trying to deal with a jobs market the Fed chair has called "unsustainably hot," where wages are rising fast because many businesses are paying more to find workers.

In a statement, the Fed said that some parts of the economy — like spending and production — have weakened. However, it noted that "job gains have been robust in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low."

The key goal, of course, is to fight inflation, which remains elevated at 9.1%, the highest in four decades. The Fed noted that pandemic's supply chain issues have continued to push prices and the Russia-Ukraine war is adding additional pressure on food and energy prices.

"My colleagues and I are acutely aware that high inflation imposes significant hardship, especially on those least able to meet the higher costs of essentials like food, housing and transportation," Powell said.

To do that, the Fed is ratcheting up interest rates. But this isn't a precise or painless process. As policymakers continue to raise rates, growth will slow further, and the unemployment rate, which is close to its pre-pandemic low, will rise.

In June, inflation rose by 9.1% from a year earlier, and the Fed is tackling a problem that is shaped by factors outside of its control.

The central bank is equipped to deal with demand, which surged as the U.S. emerged from the darkest days of the pandemic, but it can't fix supply chain issues or end the war in Ukraine, both of which have led to higher prices, especially of gasoline and food.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NCOFCU Newsletter

The Bucket Coach is a financial advice book designed by Fire Services Credit Union, Tronto, Canada. and written exclusively for Fire Fighters It's a practical guide for household financial management, including investments, credit and mortgages, and retirement. Developed with contributions from Fire Fighters," NCOFCU Newsletter : " Kevin Connolly Chief Executive Officer    Fire Services Credit Union Phone: 416-440-1294 ext 301  Toll Free: 1-866-833-3285 E-mail:  kevin@firecreditunion.ca 1997 Avenue Rd Toronto, ON M5M 4A3 

Government Shutdown? Credit Unions Know The Drill.

  With three complete government shutdowns and repeated trips to the precipice in the past 25 years, credit unions have had plenty of opportunity to refine how they approach helping members during work stoppages. Read the complete article HERE __ ______________________________________________ Check out NCOFCU's additional features: First Responder Credit Union Academy Podcasts YouTube Mini's Blog Job Board

CUNorthwest Todd A. Powell Award is SFCU CEO Gayle Furness.

Spokane Firefighters Credit Union Big Enough to Serve. Small Enough to Care. This year’s recipient of the CUNorthwest Todd A. Powell Award is SFCU CEO Gayle Furness. Like Todd, Gayle has been instrumental in the growth, as well as the safety and soundness, of the credit union. Congrats to Gayle for living up to the standard that Todd created for our organization and the greater credit union community. __ ________________________________ Check out NCOFCU's additional features: First Responder Credit Union Academy Podcasts YouTube Mini's Blog Job Board

The Shrinking Pool of Small Credit Unions: Why It Matters & What We Can Do About It. - Henry Meier, Esq.

  Henry Meier, Esq. Henry Meier is the former General Counsel of the New York Credit Union Association, where he authored the popular New York State of Mind blog. He now provides legal advice to credit unions on a broad range of legal, regulatory and legislative issues. He can be reached at (518) 223-5126 or via email at  henrymeieresq@outlook.com . For as long as I’ve been around the industry, I’ve heard concerns about the demise of the small credit union. But I’ve come to realize it’s a lot like the weather: Everyone talks about it, but no one does anything about it. This is unfortunate. We need credit unions of all shapes and sizes to survive, and if we don’t take action soon, it will be too late.  Fortunately, there are steps the industry can take to potentially decrease the rate at which small credit unions are disappearing by making it viable for credit unions to survive by getting larger credit unions interested in making the necessary investments to keep the sma...

What Are Your Plans -As Government Shutdown Continues, Credit Unions Expand Offers of Assistance

BILOXI, Miss.— With the federal government shutdown now entering its second week, an increasing number of credit unions across the country are offering relief and financial assistance. All indications are the shutdown is no closer to ending than it has been since it began on Oct. 1. While the House has passsed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund government operations in the short term, the Senate remains at an impasse, even as it has scheduled a vote for today. In addition to the earlier assistance reported by the CU Daily  here , the latest pledges to support members include: • In Biloxi, Miss., Keesler FCU said it is offering paycheck relief for all eligible federal employees affected by the shutdown and will advance the amount of direct deposit paychecks for eligible members during the shutdown for up to 90 days. There is no cost or fee to enroll in the program. • In Nebraska, Cobalt Credit Union is offering furloughed members loans of up to $5,000 with no fees or interest...