Overview
- Policymakers upgraded their growth assessment to “solid,” noted low job gains with a stabilizing unemployment rate, and kept that inflation remains somewhat elevated.
- Governors Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller dissented in favor of another 25‑basis‑point cut, highlighting ongoing divisions over labor‑market risks versus inflation.
- The statement removed language about increased downside risks to employment, signaling less urgency for additional insurance cuts after three quarter‑point reductions late last year.
- Chair Jerome Powell said policy is near a plausible neutral range and emphasized that future moves will depend on incoming data as his term as chair approaches its May end.
- Markets largely expect the next possible cut around June, with pricing and analyst forecasts pointing to one or two reductions in 2026, while political pressure intensifies with a DOJ probe into Powell and a Supreme Court case over the attempted removal of Governor Lisa Cook.