The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by half a percentage point at the end of its two-day policy meeting on Wednesday to continue its battle against inflation.
As noted in Tuesday’s CPI report, inflation fell to 7.1% in the 12 months to November from a blistering 9.1% in June, giving the Fed some breathing space to reduce the size of its rate hikes. However, the Fed is still a long way from its 2% inflation target, meaning this probably won’t be the last rate hike, economists say.
The Fed has already hiked rates six times this year to a range between 3.75% and 4% from near zero at the start of the year. The last four increases were supersized by 0.75 percentage points each. With another half-point increase expected, the cumulative increase to date would be among the most aggressive increases since the 1980s to try to contain the highest inflation rate in 40 years.
Along with an expected rate hike, the central bank will release its summary economic projections for this year, 2023 and the next two years, as well as for the longer term. The Fed publishes these projections four times a year.
Small relief for people in debt:The Fed is about to announce a smaller rate hike, but the impact remains significant
Most economists expect the Fed to raise its median inflation forecast for 2023, as well as the level at which it sees its short-term benchmark for Fed Funds rates.
What is prime rate?
Prime rate, currently 7%, is the interest rate a bank charges for loans to their very best customers with the highest credit scores. It is often used as a reference rate (or base rate) for many types of loans, including small business loans and credit card loans.
Although the Federal Reserve does not set the prime rate, many banks choose to base their prime rates in part on the federal funds rate, which is set by the Fed. That means it’s likely to rise if the Fed raises rates on Wednesday.
The Fed reports the prime rate posted by the majority of the top twenty-five banks website.
–Medora Lee
Who manages the Federal Reserve?
The three main entities of the Federal Reserve are: the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the Federal Reserve Banks, and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).
- The seven members of the Board of Directors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. A full term is 14 years. A term begins every two years, on February 1 of even-numbered years.
The Chairman (currently Jerome Powell) and Vice Chairman of the Board (now Lael Brainard), as well as the Vice Chairman of Oversight (currently Michael Barr), are nominated by the President from among the members and are confirmed by the Senate. They serve a four-year term in these roles.
- Each of the 12 Federal Reserve banks is incorporated separately and has a nine-member board of directors. The boards oversee their bank’s administration and governance, budget and overall performance, audit process, and broad strategic goals and directions.
Each bank has a president who serves a five-year term, oversees day-to-day operations and serves on rotation as a voting member of the FOMC, or policy committee. The FOMC determines interest rates, among other things.
- The FOMC consists of 12 voting members – the seven members of the Board of Directors; the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; and 4 of the remaining 11 Reserve Bank governors, who serve one-year terms in rotation. All 12 Reserve Bank presidents attend FOMC meetings and participate in FOMC discussions, but only those presidents who are FOMC members at the time are allowed to vote on policy decisions.
–Medora Lee
Fair today
Major stock indices are rising as investors await the outcome of this afternoon’s Fed policy meeting.
The broad benchmark S&P 500 was last up 20.32 points, or 0.51%, to 4039.97; Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 134.72 points, or 0.39%, to 34,243.36, and the Nasdaq-100 rose 66.56 points, or 0.59%, to 11,323.37.
—Medora Lee
What about the 10-year treasury?
30-year fixed-rate mortgages track movements in the 10-year Treasury and are only indirectly affected by the Fed’s key short-term interest rates. On Tuesday, yields on the 10-year fell below the psychological level from 3.5% to 3.488%, from 3.611% the day before. Bond yields move inversely to bond prices.
–Medora Lee
What is a central hub of the Fed?
A Fed pivot is when the Fed reverses its current policy.
In this case, since the Fed is in a cycle of rate hikes, it would mean that the Fed would start cutting rates. That’s not expected to happen any time soon, but investors are eager to find clues as to when that could happen. Some economists think this could happen in the second half of 2023, others say as late as 2024.
–Medora Lee
How will the Fed’s action affect higher-interest savings accounts?
“However, future interest gains may be limited to savings accounts and short-term CDs,” or certificates of deposit, said Ken Tumin, a senior industry analyst at Lending Tree and founder of DepositAccounts.com. slowed down and in some cases interest rates have fallen in a manner similar to prolonged declines in government bond yields.”
–Medora Lee
How Many Federal Reserve Banks Are There?
There are 12 Federal Reserve Banks, with a total of 24 branches across the country. These banks serve as the “operating arms” of the Federal Reserve System.
Each bank operates in its own geographic region of the country and collects data about the businesses and needs of the communities it serves. That data is then used to help shape monetary policy dictated by the Federal Reserve.
–Medora Lee
What should we expect the Fed to do and say about interest rates today?
Economists expect the Fed to raise its short-term benchmark Fed Funds rate by half a percentage point a step down from the 0.75 percentage point increase at each of the last four policy meetings.
In addition to the Fed’s policy statement announcing the rate hike, the Fed is releasing its summary economic projections this month. Economists expect the Fed to raise its forecast for Fed Fund interest rates next year. Most economists expect the Fed to raise its median forecast for Fed Funds rates from 4.6% in September, the last time it released its projections, to around 5%.
— Medora Lee
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When will the Fed announce the next rate hike?
The The Fed’s decision will be announced at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
— Elisabeth Buchwald
What time is Powell speaking today?
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s media conference begins Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET. USA TODAY economic reporter Paul Davidson will personally cover the event.
— Elisabeth Buchwald
Painful Hope:The Federal Reserve’s rate hikes are hurting Americans. But it is our only hope against inflation.
Wages and inflation:The good news is that wages are rising. Unfortunately, that can also be bad news. This is why.
What is the current rate of the federal funds?
The current federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge to lend to each other, is between 3.75% and 4%. In fact, it’s closer to 3.83%, according to an analysis by the New York Federal Reserve.
—Elizabeth Buchwald
Elisabeth Buchwald is personal finance and markets correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on Twitter @BuchElisabeth and sign up for our Daily Money newsletter here.
Medora Lee is a money, markets and personal finance reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com.
Paul Davidson is an economics correspondent for USA TODAY.
