Allies of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have laid the groundwork for him to push a rate cut through a divided committee at December's meeting even though it could draw multiple dissents

Core Insights - The article discusses the challenges faced by a divided committee in making decisions amid missing data and concerns about stagflation, presenting two potential paths forward, each with its own drawbacks [1] Group 1 - The committee is experiencing division, which complicates decision-making processes [1] - There is a notable absence of critical data that hinders effective analysis and forecasting [1] - Concerns about stagflation are emerging, indicating a potential economic slowdown coupled with inflation [1] Group 2 - The two paths presented for consideration each have significant drawbacks, suggesting that any decision will involve trade-offs [1]