Fed Chair Powell Says No Rate Cuts This Year, Markets Hear It Differently

Fed Chair Powell Says No Rate Cuts This Year, Markets Hear It Differently
Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference in Washington on Feb. 1, 2023. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Reuters
Updated:

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had a clear message on Wednesday: as “gratifying” as it is that inflation has begun to slow, the central bank is nowhere near to reversing course or declaring victory.

“It’s going to take some time” for disinflation to spread through the economy, Powell said in a news conference following the Fed’s latest quarter-point interest rate increase. He said he expects a couple more rate hikes still to go, and, “given our outlook, I just I don’t see us cutting rates this year.”