At this week’s Federal Reserve meeting, the decision it will make on interest rates—usually the main event—is just one of the key unknowns to be resolved when officials gather Tuesday and Wednesday.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also fell.
The drop in producer prices makes it even more likely that the Federal Reserve will cut its benchmark interest rate next week for the first time this year.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but suggested the central bank will proceed cautiously as it continues to evaluate the impact of tariffs and other policies on the economy.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also fell.
Cash-out refinances, in which homeowners take out a loan for more than they owe on their mortgage and pockets the difference, accounted for roughly 60% of all home loan refis in the second quarter.
The jobs report that arrived last week, only a couple of days after the Fed voted on interest rates, showed that employers hired far fewer workers last month than economists expected.
The choice to hold off on a rate cut will almost certainly result in further conflict between the Fed and White House, as Trump has repeatedly demanded that the central bank reduce borrowing costs.
President Trump argues that the Federal Reserve in general and Chair Jerome Powell in particular are costing U.S. taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars in interest payments by not reducing borrowing costs.
President Trump made the statement less than 24 hours after suggesting in a private meeting that he was leaning in favor of dismissing the head of the nation’s central bank.
The Federal Reserve will continue to wait and see how the economy evolves before deciding whether to reduce its key interest rate, Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday.
Michelle Bowman, who was appointed to the Fed’s board of governors by Donald Trump in 2018, is the second high-profile official to express support for a potential July cut in as many days.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, about 1 in 4 people with student loan accounts were more than 90 days behind on payments at the end of March.
Many economists and Wall Street investors still expect the Fed will reduce rates two or three times this year.
President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have said that inflation has steadily cooled and high borrowing costs are no longer needed to restrain price increases.
The Federal Reserve has again kept its interest rate at about 4.3%, as the central bank evaluates the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on the economy.
Fed officials have signaled interest rates may be on hold for some time amid uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s economic policies, particularly on trade.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the economy remains mostly healthy despite “elevated uncertainty.”
Wednesday’s data could strengthen the case for the Federal Reserve to remain in an extended pause mode while the economy is strong and inflation remains elevated.
The Federal Reserve is prepared to keep its key interest rate unchanged for now as inflation remains elevated and the job market is solid, Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday.
