CHICAGO: US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday the central bank will "act as appropriate" in response to risks posed by a trade war, remarks that may open the door to the possibility of a rate cut.
"We do not know how or when these issues will be resolved," Powell said. "We are closely monitoring the implications of these developments for the U.S. economic outlook and, as always, we will act as appropriate to sustain the expansion, with a strong labor market and inflation near our symmetric 2% objective."
The brief statement opened a two-day session at the Chicago Federal Reserve intended to shore up the central bank's policies to prepare for the likely possibility that policymakers will eventually confront another recession with rates near zero and the traditional option of cutting rates exhausted.
The more immediate issue is how the Fed should respond to a trade war expanding on multiple fronts, after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped new 25% tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports and threatened new import taxes on Mexico unless immigration slows. The question of how to respond divides policymakers and markets.
Powell's remarks did not include a reference to the current Fed target interest rate as appropriate, or repeat the pledge to be "patient" before raising or lowering rates again – both standard talking points in recent Fed statements. His comments come a day after St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said in a speech on Monday that a rate cut may be needed "soon."
Yields on 2-year Treasuries, which are responsive to expectations about Fed policy, fell marginally when Powell spoke to around 1.87% from 1.91%.
"We are likely seeing the beginning of coordinated Fed-speak to prep market participants for at least one rate cut this year," said John Doyle, vice president of dealing and trading at Tempus Inc in Washington.
Short-term interest rate futures imply the central bank will start cutting rates as soon as next month, as well as increasing fear that uncertainty about how the trade conflict will be resolved could push tRead More – Source
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