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Fed holds at 3.5–3.75
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5%-3.75% after a 9-3 FOMC vote, with Chair Kevin Warsh saying inflation remains elevated.
Warsh defended the decision to hold rates steady despite growing calls for tighter policy, while three policymakers dissented in favor of a rate hike, underscoring divisions over the inflation outlook.
Straight Arrow said the Fed kept the central bank’s key interest rate in a range of 3.5% to 3.75% where it has been since December, and noted the funds rate ripples across the economy from mortgages and credit card debt to business loans.
The Hill tied the decision to mounting pressure on the Fed to stay ahead of another war-driven energy price shock, citing Warsh’s remarks that the economy was showing “impressive resilience” despite “recent shocks.”
Warsh’s “family fight”
Warsh told reporters after the decision’s release that he asked for “a good family fight, and I got one,” framing the internal debate as spirited rather than fractious.
The Hill reported that the three dissenters—Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Lorie Logan, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari—voted to raise rates by 0.25 percentage points.
Jazzy 88.9 said policymakers in the Fed’s statement linked elevated prices to supply shocks, including energy, and quoted the committee’s view that “Inflation remains elevated relative to the Committee's 2 percent goal.”
In a separate press-conference message carried by The Economic Times, Warsh reaffirmed the Fed’s commitment to restoring price stability while three policymakers dissented in favor of a rate hike.
Next steps and risks
Multiple outlets said the Fed’s next move depends on incoming data, with Straight Arrow noting that many economists expected the Fed to raise rates at its next meeting in September.
The Economic Times said Warsh defended holding rates steady despite calls for tighter policy, while the dissent highlighted divisions over the inflation outlook.
The Hill reported that annual inflation cooled in June, falling from a three-year high of 4.2 percent in May to 3.5 percent in June, and said the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the CPI for July on Aug. 12.
Jazzy 88.9 warned that renewed fighting in and around the Strait of Hormuz raises concern that pump prices could remain high for months to come, even as Warsh emphasized the Fed has “no tolerance” for persistently elevated inflation.
