Fed Schmid: The Fed must maintain inflation credibility
The President of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Jeffrey Schmid crossed the newswires on October 6. He delivered hawkish remarks, saying that the Fed must maintain its inflation credibility and stressed that inflation is too high. He added that monetary policy is appropriately calibrated.
Key takeaways:
In balancing its goals, the Fed must maintain inflation credibility.
Inflation is too high. It's worrying that price increases are becoming more widespread.
Monetary policy is appropriately calibrated.
Labor market is cooling and remains healthy.
Monetary policy only slightly restrictive.
Aggressively boosting demand could raise risk of outsized increase in prices.
I'm monitoring alternative labor market and price data closely.
I expect tariffs to have muted effect on inflation.
Hard to Determine If Stablecoin is Anything Different from Venmo on Steroids.
Trump administration working to maximize public service
Sees AI and other innovations as key for obtaining reliable government data
Current interest rates may be lower than usual due to Fed's MBS purchases
Hard to understand how US Dollar would not be the world's reserve currency for a long, long time
Fed FAQs
Monetary policy in the US is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, it raises interest rates, increasing borrowing costs throughout the economy. This results in a stronger US Dollar (USD) as it makes the US a more attractive place for international investors to park their money. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates to encourage borrowing, which weighs on the Greenback.
The Federal Reserve (Fed) holds eight policy meetings a year, where the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) assesses economic conditions and makes monetary policy decisions. The FOMC is attended by twelve Fed officials – the seven members of the Board of Governors, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and four of the remaining eleven regional Reserve Bank presidents, who serve one-year terms on a rotating basis.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve may resort to a policy named Quantitative Easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used during crises or when inflation is extremely low. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy high grade bonds from financial institutions. QE usually weakens the US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process of QE, whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing, to purchase new bonds. It is usually positive for the value of the US Dollar.