On Wednesday, Fed raises rates again.He warned that interest rates will need to rise much more in order to bring inflation down from its persistently high level. Fed raises rates again and ordered a significant increase in the current rate of interest.
KeyPoints on Fed raises rates again
- Since March, when it was practically nil, the rate has increased by 3.75 percentage points, meaning that it is now higher than it was before.
- The housing market has already suffered significant damage as a direct result of rising interest rates.
- However, she has also warned against raising interest rates too quickly at this period of economic unpredictability.
- However, a few Democrats have begun to question the strategy taken by the central bank, voicing concerns that rapid increases in interest rates could result in the loss of employment for millions of people.
- As a result of mortgage rates reaching over 7% for the first time in almost twenty years, the housing market has already slowed to a crawl.
Detail Report on Fed raises rates again
The key interest rate that is used to set other rates was increased by three quarters of a percentage point. Since March, when it was practically nil, the rate has increased by 3.75 percentage points, meaning that it is now higher than it was before. That’s the most aggressive streak of rate hikes in decades, but so far it hasn’t accomplished much in the way of bringing inflation under control.
According to Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate, interest rates have increased at a speed that might cause whiplash, and they aren’t done rising yet. Even if we do start to see some improvement in the economy, it is going to be quite some time before the inflation rate is able to come down from these elevated levels.
According to the preferred yardstick used by the Fed, annual inflation in September was 6.2%, which is the same as it was in the previous month. The more widely used consumer price index reveals that costs are climbing at an even more rapid pace, at an annual rate of 8.2%.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell issued a warning that in order to control such severe inflation, interest rates will likely need to be raised even farther than he and his colleagues had anticipated they would need to be just two months ago.
Powell told reporters on Wednesday, “What I’m trying to do is make sure that our message is clear.” Before we reach the level of interest rates that we believe to be adequately restrictive, we still have some ground to make up.
At the same time, Powell stated that the Fed may soon halt the pace of rate hikes as policymakers assess the impact that rising borrowing rates are having on the economy.
Powell stated that “that time is coming,” and it is possible that it will occur as soon as the next meeting or the one after that.
The initial rise in stock prices may have been attributed to the possibility of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates by a smaller amount in either December or January; however, these gains were quickly erased when investors began to focus on the likelihood that rates will eventually be forced to increase. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 500 points, which is equivalent to 1.5% of its value. The more comprehensive S&P 500 index experienced a loss of 2.5%.
McBride contends that in order to control inflation, interest rates on loans will likely need to be kept quite high for a considerable amount of time.
He stated that the motto for the year 2023 would be “higher for longer.” It is going to take some time when inflation has been running at 6, 7, and 8% when the target is 2%.
Even though inflation has not been brought under control, rate hikes are having an effect.
The housing market has already suffered significant damage as a direct result of rising interest rates. In addition, other aspects of the economy have started to slow down. But despite still having a surplus of income from when the pandemic first began, customers continue to spend their money. Because of this, the Federal Reserve could have to apply more pressure to the brakes and keep it applied for a longer period of time than it normally would.
Esther George, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, stated that “we see today that there is a bit of a savings buffer still sitting for households,” which may allow them to continue spending in a way that keeps demand strong. “We see today that there is a bit of a savings buffer still sitting for households,” That gives me the impression that we’ll have to keep working at this for some time.
George, along with her fellow members of the Fed’s committee that decides interest rates, has stated that she is determined to bring inflation under control. However, she has also warned against raising interest rates too quickly at this period of economic unpredictability.
“I have been in the camp of steadier and slower [rate increases], to begin to observe how those impacts from a lag would emerge,” George remarked the previous month. “I have been in the camp of steadier and slower [rate increases].” “My worry is that a string of very super-sized rate hikes could force you to oversteer, and then you wouldn’t be able to see those turning moments,”
Because voters’ primary concern, according to polls, is rising costs, the administration of Vice President Joe Biden and the majority of members of Congress have avoided interfering with the Federal Reserve’s efforts to maintain price stability. However, a few Democrats have begun to question the strategy taken by the central bank, voicing concerns that rapid increases in interest rates could result in the loss of employment for millions of people.
Also Read:
“We are deeply concerned that your interest rate hikes risk slowing the economy to a crawl while failing to slow rising prices that continue to harm families,” Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and colleagues wrote in a letter sent Monday to the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell.
As a result of mortgage rates reaching over 7% for the first time in almost twenty years, the housing market has already slowed to a crawl.
Shawn Woods, a homebuilder in Kansas City, stated that his company is now selling fewer than five homes each month, down from a monthly average of twelve sales before the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates.
“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we’d go from 3% [mortgage rates] to 7% within six months,” said Woods, president of Ashlar Homes and the Home Builders Association of Kansas City. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we’d go from 3% [mortgage rates] to 7% within six months.”
Woods predicted that the next six to eight months would be challenging for the company. “Housing is typically the primary driver of both the beginning and the end of economic recessions. In addition, I believe that, from the point of view of the housing market, we have probably been in a housing recession ever since March or April.”
Powell stated that the central bank has a responsibility to get inflation under control notwithstanding the repercussions that is occurring as a result of increased interest rates.
Also Read:
Powell stated that “no one knows whether there will be a recession or not, and if there is, how awful that recession will be.” Moreover, “no one knows if there will be a recession or not.” “It is our responsibility to bring about price stability so that we can have a robust labor market that is to the long-term advantage of all.”
Related: npr
Also Read – The Fed decides to raise interest rates another again. Many people are wondering what will happen next.
