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Fed holds interest rates steady in last decision before midterms

Fed chair Kevin Warsh said politics played no role in pause of interest rate hikes, despite inflation remaining above 3%

The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday during its last board meeting before the midterm elections, keeping rates at one of the highest pre-election levels seen in over 20 years.

Two out of 12 board members voted against the pause, preferring to raise rates by a quarter point this meeting, the Fed board said in a statement.

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© Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

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The Federal Reserve Will Release Its Interest Rate Decision Today. Here’s What to Watch.

The central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday, just days before the midterm elections.

© Al Drago for The New York Times

The Federal Reserve is expected to press pause on raising interest rates after delivering a rate increase last month for the first time since 2023.
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How to Tax and Spend in a ‘Turbulent Time’? U.K. Tries a Balancing Act.

The new government, led by Andy Burnham, will deliver its first budget on Wednesday, a plan expected to tread between wide ambition and narrow financial limits.

© Pool photo by Carlos Jasso

Britain’s prime minister, Andy Burnham, in Downing Street on Monday. The first budget of the new government will be delivered in Parliament on Wednesday.
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A Punishing Housing Market Is Squeezing Renters

Higher mortgage rates and slowing residential construction are again giving landlords the upper hand.

© Grant Hindsley for The New York Times

Higher mortgage rates are pushing aspiring homeowners to keep renting, intensifying competition in the rental market.
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Jim Chalmers is blaming Australia’s accelerating inflation on Trump – but voters aren’t buying it

As next week’s all but certain rate rise looms, there is one thing we can all agree on: the end of war in the Middle East can’t come soon enough

Jim Chalmers is blaming the latest shocking inflation figures on the worsening Middle East conflict, and he has a point.

The trouble is, voters aren’t buying what the treasurer is selling.

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© Photograph: Lukas Coch/Reuters

© Photograph: Lukas Coch/Reuters

© Photograph: Lukas Coch/Reuters

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Coalition MP ejected from question time after swearing at PM – as it happened

Online hate is spilling into the real world, AFP warns

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett began her late-night appearance at the Senate estimates hearing noting “a heaviness that hangs across Australia” after the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines.

Lone actors are being motivated by a convergence of personal grievances, mental health vulnerabilities and ideological concerns …

What helped keep us safe in recent times, such as our geography, analogue systems and far away criminals, has been impacted by fully integrated technology, social media and artificial intelligence.

We hear about the devastating impacts of racism from communities every day. But many experiences go unreported or uncounted, and our systems often do not capture the full picture.

This is not about collecting more data to prove racism exists. We already know it does. It is about making inequality visible, holding institutions to account and giving communities greater agency over their data to drive real change.

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© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

© Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

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The Fed Is Expected to Hold Rates Steady. Warsh Will Have to Explain Why.

Inflation is moving in the wrong direction and the labor market remains stable, a combination that bolsters the case for higher interest rates.

© Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Kevin M. Warsh, chairman of the Federal Reserve, said that the central bank had more work to do to tame inflation, but that there was no urgency to raise rates at consecutive meetings.
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The Fed Is Expected to Hold Rates Steady. Warsh Will Have to Explain Why.

Inflation is moving in the wrong direction and the labor market remains stable, a combination that bolsters the case for higher interest rates.

© Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Kevin M. Warsh, chairman of the Federal Reserve, said that the central bank had more work to do to tame inflation, but that there was no urgency to raise rates at consecutive meetings.
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