Yesterday, the U.S. Federal Reserve made a quiet but meaningful shift in policy. For the first time since December 2024, the Fed trimmed its benchmark federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point, lowering the target range to 4.00%–4.25%. The move signals a new phase of monetary policy, one aimed at stabilizing a cooling labor market rather than fighting runaway inflation.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that while inflation remains above the 2% target, the greater risk now is a slowdown