Fed Funds Rate

Like the first crisp breeze that signals summer’s end, the Federal Reserve’s decision to lower the overnight interest rate on Wednesday suggests a chill in the economic air, one marked by growing concern over the labor market. 

While they are not duking it out like King Arthur and the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, President Donald Trump and Federal Open Market Committee Chair Jerome Powel appear to be at odds.  Both sides are searching for their own holy grail, and their paths keep crossing.

From time to time, Atlas will look at consumer attitude data.  Recently, the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment release caught our attention.  In particular, inflation expectations made a dramatic move higher.  Those surveyed in February 2025 believe inflation will climb 3.5 percent per year over the next five years.  This is up from 3.2 percent in January and

On Wednesday, America’s central bank made its first downward adjustment to its Federal Funds Rate since the pandemic was just getting started back in March 2020.  This interest rate is what banks charge each other for overnight loans when their cash reserves aren’t adequate to meet weekly regulatory requirements.  While it does not impact other rates directly, the Fed Fund

America’s central bank gathered for the final time in 2023 this week.  As was widely expected, there was no change in the Fed Funds Rate.  This is the rate banks charge each other for overnight lending and is set by the Federal Reserve.  Votes in the halls of the Eccles Building were unanimous, something we can’t say about ballots in other halls within our nation&rsqu

American cuisine is complicated.  The nation doesn’t exactly have a uniform palette.  Instead we have regional differences.  Take marinades for instance.  In the Northeast, a common marinade is made with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, garlic, and herbs.  In the South, a traditional marinade is made with buttermilk, hot sauce, garlic, and onion powder.

Macroeconomics can be very personal.  Those observing the changes in its machination are often watching the same or similar factors, yet their description of an economy can be very different.  While decorum is often kept in the field, sometimes things are said which evoke thoughts of obscenity.  This happened Wednesday as the Chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, responded

Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. is the first album released by Simon and Garfunkel.  The Sound of Silence is the last track on side one.  This hit song is about the inability of people to communicate and all the difficulties that accompany it.  America is facing such an episode now with our central bank.

Every six weeks the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meets to discuss monetary policies and to make any changes to it which they deem necessary.  Their latest two-day meeting ended last Wednesday with the 12-person committee unanimously voting to raise the overnight lending rate banks charge each other by 0.75 percentage points; the range for this type of loan now stands at 3.75 - 4.0