PANews reported on September 18th that according to Jinshi, "Federal Reserve mouthpiece" Nick Timiraos stated that the Federal Reserve approved a 25 basis point interest rate cut on Wednesday, the first in nine months. Officials believe that recent labor market weakness has outweighed the headwinds posed by recurrent inflation. Slightly over half of officials expect at least two more rate cuts this year, suggesting the possibility of consecutive action at the remaining two meetings in October and December. This summary of economic forecasts suggests a shift in policy stance toward broader concerns about cracks in the job market—an environment complicated by significant policy adjustments that have made economic trends increasingly difficult to predict. Forecasts suggest that future policy decisions could be even more divided: Of the 19 officials present, seven predicted no further rate cuts this year, while two supported only one. Most officials believed that given the current outlook for solid economic activity (even if slowing slightly), further significant rate cuts next year were unnecessary. Fed officials have debated this balance throughout the year. Powell's decision to guide his colleagues toward a rate cut was based on a judgment that inflation risks may be more manageable, and that the Fed should accept more of them to avoid a deeper impact on the labor market.PANews reported on September 18th that according to Jinshi, "Federal Reserve mouthpiece" Nick Timiraos stated that the Federal Reserve approved a 25 basis point interest rate cut on Wednesday, the first in nine months. Officials believe that recent labor market weakness has outweighed the headwinds posed by recurrent inflation. Slightly over half of officials expect at least two more rate cuts this year, suggesting the possibility of consecutive action at the remaining two meetings in October and December. This summary of economic forecasts suggests a shift in policy stance toward broader concerns about cracks in the job market—an environment complicated by significant policy adjustments that have made economic trends increasingly difficult to predict. Forecasts suggest that future policy decisions could be even more divided: Of the 19 officials present, seven predicted no further rate cuts this year, while two supported only one. Most officials believed that given the current outlook for solid economic activity (even if slowing slightly), further significant rate cuts next year were unnecessary. Fed officials have debated this balance throughout the year. Powell's decision to guide his colleagues toward a rate cut was based on a judgment that inflation risks may be more manageable, and that the Fed should accept more of them to avoid a deeper impact on the labor market.

                                                                               Some agencies, such as the SEC, are expected to reopen the day after a funding bill becomes law, more than 40 days after reducing their operations and staff.                     The US government is moving closer to reopening after more than 40 days of being shut down, following several Democratic lawmakers in the Senate siding with Republicans to pass a funding bill.On Monday, the US Senate held a late-night vote for a bill “continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2026,” which passed 60 to 40 in the chamber. The bill is expected to fund the government through Jan. 31, 2026, provided it passes in the House of Representatives and is signed into law by President Donald Trump.As Tuesday is a US federal holiday, the House is not expected to reconvene to vote on the bill until Wednesday at the earliest. Prediction platform Polymarket has already adjusted its expectation that the US government will return to normal operations on Friday, likely following the passage of the House bill.Read more