While still on track to raise rates again next month, some Fed members see a possible slowing of hikes in 2019
Federal Reserve officials are seemingly on track to raise a key interest rate in December, but they showed more caution in their most recent meeting and indicated the pace of future hikes might need to slow given emerging risks to the economy.
Minutes of the Nov. 7-8 meeting of the Fed’s rate-setting body, the Federal Open Markets Committee, show that officials expressed concerns about a variety of threats, including the impact of tariffs, a slowing global economy and tightening financial conditions amid falling stock prices. Some noted the slowdown in business investment in the third quarter, pointing to “anecdotal evidence regarding higher tariffs and uncertainty about trade policy, slowing global demand, rising input costs, or higher interest rates” as possible reasons, according to the minutes.
