The US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, pushed back hard against claims the central bank allows politics to drive decisions, in the midst of an extraordinary battle over its independence.Donald Trump, who is seeking to increase his administration’s control over the Fed, has branded Powell “a very political guy” after he declined to bow to the president’s public demands for drastically lower interest rates.The White House has launched an unprecedented campaign to overhaul the Fed’s rate-setting board of ...

Inflation & Monetary Policy - The majority of the Federal Reserve saw inflation risk outweighing employment risk [1] - Several members flagged the risk of inflation expectations becoming unanchored [1] - Some Fed members suggested the current rate may not be far above neutral [1] - The Fed was already seeing some issues with inflation growing at the end of July [3] - The minutes offer support for the idea that the majority on the Fed isn't going to move if a weak employment report is released unless it's very weak [4] Tariffs Impact - Many noted the full effect of tariffs could take some time [4] - Fed economists were looking for about six months to see the pass-through effects of tariffs, say the end of the third quarter, the beginning of the fourth quarter this year [6] - The Trump administration's on-and-off approach to tariffs complicates the timeline [6] - Companies brought in imports early to build inventories, which are now being run down, leading to expected price increases [7][8] - Home Depot indicated they would have to start raising prices [8] Labor Market & Economic Outlook - The official subject of the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium is labor markets in transition [20] - The Fed looks at the unemployment rate as a proxy for US growth [22] - The Fed will likely look to the August payrolls report and its impact on the unemployment rate [22] Fed Independence & Political Pressure - Allegations against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook have emerged, with calls for her resignation [10][11] - Removing Lisa Cook wouldn't significantly impact the president's goal of lowering interest rates, but it would allow him to appoint someone more sympathetic to low rates [13] - There are concerns about the Trump administration's efforts to influence public opinion and potentially weaponize the government against Democrats [11][16] - The Fed is independent, at least in terms of the way it acts, and is biased only towards what the economy is telling them to do [26][27]