1/ The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 75 basis points – the biggest increase since 1994 – to tackle the fastest inflation in four decades. Chairman Jerome Powell called the move “an unusually large one,” adding that he expects either a 50 basis point or 75 basis point increase at the Fed’s July meeting. Economic data showed that inflation unexpectedly rose to 8.6% in May. The Fed now expect prices to increase 5.2% in 2022, compared to an earlier forecast for 4.3%, with inflation dropping to 2.6% in 2023 – still above its 2% target rate. On average, Fed policymakers expect interest rates to rise to 3.4% by December, and 3.8% by the end of 2023 – up from the 1.9% they projected in March. And, as a result of its policies, the Fed now expects the unemployment rate to increase to 3.7% this year and to 4.1% by 2024. “We’re not trying to induce a recession now,” Powell said. “Let’s be clear about that. We’re trying to achieve 2% inflation.” (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / NPR / Associated Press / Bloomberg / Washington Post / CBS News / Politico)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2022/06/15/day-512/