financetom
Economy
financetom
/
Economy
/
Fed's Goolsbee a 'little wary' of front-loading too many rate cuts -CNBC
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Fed's Goolsbee a 'little wary' of front-loading too many rate cuts -CNBC
Oct 3, 2025 7:18 AM

(Reuters) -Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee on Friday said he was hesitant to commit to a series of interest rate cuts with inflation still running above the central bank's 2% target, echoing the concerns of several of his peers about the persistence of inflation for services.

The Fed, Goolsbee said in an appearance on CNBC, was in "a bit of a sticky spot" with recent data showing an upswing in services inflation while payroll job creation has been weakening.

"You're getting deterioration of both sides of the mandate at the same time," he said. "If the inflation looks like it's going to be transitory - and I say that word with some fear - then I think the employment side of the mandate would be dominant. But ... you see this uptick in inflation and particularly the uptick in services inflation, which is probably not coming from tariffs. I'm a little wary about front-loading too many rate cuts and just counting on the inflation going away."

The Fed cut rates last month by a quarter of a percentage point to a range of 4.00% to 4.25%, and rate futures markets are positioned for two more such reductions at the central bank's remaining two meetings this year. Nonetheless, several of the Fed's regional Reserve Bank presidents have, like Goolsbee, been voicing concern about inflation's persistence and have been reluctant to endorse expectations for a series of rate cuts ahead.

Goolsbee appeared at the time when ordinarily the Bureau of Labor Statistics would have released its monthly report on the U.S. employment situation, but publication has been suspended because of the federal government shutdown that began on Wednesday. All benchmark economic data reports from the BLS, Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau have been put on hold during the closure.

Job growth has been slowing through the year, in large part because President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration has stymied the growth of the workforce, but there has been little evidence so far of widespread layoffs and while the unemployment rate has edged up, it remains at a historically low level.

The Chicago Fed recently launched a model that estimates the unemployment rate, and its latest update on Thursday showed the jobless rate in September was likely unchanged at 4.3%.

"Thus far, it continues to point to a pretty stable labor market, in my view," Goolsbee said.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Argentina hopes to finalize US $20 billion swap line before midterm vote
Argentina hopes to finalize US $20 billion swap line before midterm vote
Oct 15, 2025
(Reuters) -Argentina's Economy Minister Luis Caputo said he hopes to very soon execute a framework that will contain the terms of a $20 billion currency swap the U.S. recently agreed with Argentina's central bank, ideally before this month's midterm election. President Javier Milei is seeking to expand his minority presence in Argentina's legislature in the October 26 vote, and U.S....
US may seek more stakes in strategic companies to counter China, Bessent says
US may seek more stakes in strategic companies to counter China, Bessent says
Oct 15, 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration will seek to tighten control over strategic sectors by taking more equity stakes in key companies to counter China's economic policies and export restrictions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday. Bessent told a CNBC event that China's dramatic new restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets demonstrates the need for the U.S. to be...
Argentina hopes to finalize US $20 billion swap line before midterm vote
Argentina hopes to finalize US $20 billion swap line before midterm vote
Oct 15, 2025
(Reuters) -Argentina's Economy Minister Luis Caputo said he hopes to very soon execute a framework that will contain the terms of a $20 billion currency swap the U.S. recently agreed with Argentina's central bank, ideally before this month's midterm election. President Javier Milei is seeking to expand his minority presence in Argentina's legislature in the October 26 vote, and U.S....
US banks tap Fed repo facility as overnight rates climb, signaling funding strain
US banks tap Fed repo facility as overnight rates climb, signaling funding strain
Oct 15, 2025
NEW YORK (Reuters) -U.S. banks borrowed $6.5 billion from the Federal Reserve's Standing Repo Facility (SRF) on Wednesday, central bank data showed, and repurchase rates rose, suggesting tightness in meeting funding obligations with a large net Treasuries settlement due this week. That was the biggest daily borrowing from the Fed since the COVID-19 pandemic, excluding end-of-quarter periods. The SRF acts...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved