Monetary policy

The Senate Banking Committee voted 13-11 to favorably recommend Stephen Miran's nomination for the Federal Reserve Board to the full Senate.

Stephen Miran will take unpaid leave from and might seek to return to President Trump's Council of Economic Advisers, he said, raising conflict of interest questions in his nomination hearing for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board.

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook and allegations of mortgage fraud, allegations that spurred President Trump to terminate her position on the Fed Board last week. Cook is challenging the president's authority to remove her in court.

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller criticized his fellow Federal Open Market Committee members for not cutting interest rates in July, but said he is "hopeful" that easing monetary policy soon can keep the labor market from "deteriorating."

Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday morning seeking an injunction against President Trump's "illegal attempt" to remove her from the Fed board. The suit claims Trump has not demonstrated "cause" for her removal under the Fed statute.

President Trump posted a letter on social media addressed to Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, informing her that he was terminating her due to allegations of mortgage fraud. The move is likely to tee up an unprecedented legal fight over the Fed's independence.

The President said in response to a press question about Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook that he would fire her "if she doesn't resign" over allegations of claiming primary residence at two properties she owns, though the legality of such a move is unclear.

KC Mathews, executive vice president and chief market strategist at Commerce Trust breaks down the FOMC meeting.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said she foresees three interest rate cuts for this year, a view bolstered by the latest employment data.

Trump advisers are impressed with Waller's willingness to move on policy based on forecasting, rather than current data, and his deep knowledge of the Fed system as a whole, the people said.

Miran, if nominated and approved by the Senate, is only expected to serve a term that expires in January, according to the person, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The Minneapolis Fed chief added that tariffs still represent a significant uncertainty and it's unclear what impact they'll have on inflation.

A close look at Fed officials — barring additional surprise departures from the Fed — suggests the president probably won't get the outsize rate cuts he wants in 2026.

The Federal Reserve governor's term was set to expire in January and President Donald Trump has made it clear that she would not be reappointed. The vacancy will give Trump an opportunity to appoint someone new to the central bank's board.

Although the Federal Reserve is not expected to cut rates at this meeting, the market is closely watching for signs of a September easing and how the divide among officials plays out.

The markets are waiting for the Federal Open Market Committee to make its next move.

"We have to navigate policy not only depending on how the environment evolves, but also with keeping those two objectives in mind," Daly said.

"I would be quite surprised if he did not make a choice that fair-minded observers on both sides recognized as a reasonable person," Summers said on Bloomberg Television.

"We could do this as early as July," Waller said Friday in a televised interview.

The FOMC's decision to "hold rates steady while signaling only two cuts this year was a subtle but powerful shift," said James Pruskowski, CIO at 16Rock Asset Management.