After eleven rate hikes since March 2022, the Fed once again left their benchmark Federal Funds Rate unchanged at a range of 5.25% to 5.5%. This decision was unanimous and marks the seventh straight meeting they held rates steady. The Fed Funds Rate is the interest rate for overnight borrowing for banks and it is not the same as mortgage rates. The Fed has been aggressively hiking the Fed Funds Rate throughout this cycle to try to slow the economy and curb the runaway inflation that became rampant over the last few years.
What’s the bottom line? While inflation has cooled considerably after peaking in 2022, it remains above the Fed’s 2% target. Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the Fed does not expect to cut rates until members are confident that inflation is moving sustainably towards 2% as measured by annual Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (which is at 2.8% as of April). The Fed’s “dot plot” of member forecasts signaled that just one rate cut is expected before the end of the year, down from three cuts forecasted in March, though these estimates can change quickly based on upcoming data. The Fed did acknowledge that they have seen “modest further progress” toward their 2% goal, reflecting some recent friendly inflation readings as noted below.