Warsh Wants the Fed to Send Fewer Signals. That Comes With Risks.

18 June 2026 at 13:16

Investors piled on bets for higher borrowing costs after Kevin Warsh opted against providing policy guidance at his first meeting as Federal Reserve chairman.

Kevin Warsh, the Federal Reserve chair, believes central bank officials should be more guarded in what they share.

Inflation Will Linger Despite U.S.-Iran Deal, British Officials Warn

NYT - Top Stories

By: Eshe Nelson

18 June 2026 at 12:52

Bank of England policymakers kept interest rates on hold, saying the impact of the war in Iran was still a major source of uncertainty for the economy.

Policymakers at the Bank of England have held rates steady since late last year, as the war in the Middle East pushed up energy prices.

Bank of England keeps interest rates at 3.75% as Iran conflict weighs on economy

The Guardian - World news

By: Heather Stewart

18 June 2026 at 12:00

Two MPC members vote for a quarter-point rise but Bank argues rapid reaction risks creating volatility

Business live – latest updates

The Bank of England has left interest rates on hold, arguing that reacting too quickly to inflation threats risked creating “undesirable volatility”, as the Iran war weighs on the UK economy.

Seven of the nine-person monetary policy committee voted to keep rates at 3.75% as the MPC weighed the threat of higher inflation against the prospect of an economic slowdown.

What Warsh's first meeting as Fed chair signals

PBS NewsHour - The Latest

By: Amna Nawaz · Azhar Merchant · Nana Adwoa Antwi-Boasiako

17 June 2026 at 23:35

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady in the first meeting led by Kevin Warsh. The decision to maintain rates for a fourth-straight meeting was supported by all 12 members of the Federal Open Market Committee, but new quarterly projections by some Fed officials anticipate a rate hike by the end of the year. Amna Nawaz discussed the future of the Fed under Warsh with David Wessel.

See How the First Fed Statement Under Warsh Evolved

NYT - Top Stories

By: Christine Zhang

17 June 2026 at 21:48

Interest rates didn’t change, but the language in Fed’s policy statement, which it released alongside its rate decision today, certainly did.

Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady for fourth time this year

The Guardian - World news

By: Gaya Gupta in Washington

17 June 2026 at 19:50

Open markets committee says ‘economic activity is expanding at a solid pace’ in first meeting under new chair Kevin Warsh

The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged for the fourth time this year after its first meeting under new chair, Kevin Warsh, a Donald Trump appointee who has taken over the central bank during a tumultuous time for the US economy.

“Economic activity is expanding at a solid pace despite elevated uncertainty that owes, in part, to the conflict in the Middle East,” the Fed’s open market committee said in a short statement. “Productivity growth and capital investment are strong. Job gains have kept pace with the workforce, and the unemployment rate has changed little.”

WATCH: New Fed chair Kevin Warsh holds first news conference after leaving interest rate unchanged

PBS NewsHour - The Latest

By: Christopher Rugaber · Associated Press

17 June 2026 at 16:14

The Federal Reserve kept its key rate unchanged Wednesday yet almost half the central bank's policymakers said they could support a rate hike later this year.

Surprisingly benign UK inflation data signals a softer Iran war hit than feared

The Guardian - World news

By: Heather Stewart

17 June 2026 at 10:27

War’s impact on UK cost of living more muted than first forecast suggesting fuel price rises have failed to spill out more widely across UK plc

As soon as Iran choked off oil supplies through the strait of Hormuz at the start of March, there were dire warnings about rocketing UK inflation and the drastic action the Bank of England might take to rein it in.

At one point, investors were expecting as many as three quarter-point rises in interest rates before the end of the year – a sharp turnaround from earlier forecasts of rate cuts.

UK inflation stays at 2.8% as slowing food prices offset rising transport costs

The Guardian - World news

By: Heather Stewart and Joanna Partridge

17 June 2026 at 07:00

Surprise ONS figure confounds forecasts of an increase to 3% as Bank of England prepares to set interest rates

UK inflation unexpectedly remained at 2.8% last month as higher transport and fuel costs were offset by slower food price rises.

May’s annual price rise reading recorded by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) came despite economists’ forecasts of a rise to 3% as the Middle East restricted global energy flows.

Good Luck, Kevin Warsh. You’ll Need It.

NYT - Top Stories

By: Steven Rattner

16 June 2026 at 23:45

Between a surge in interest rates, increasingly restive colleagues and the demands of President Trump, the new Fed chairman, Kevin Warsh, is in a bind.

Finally, an interest rate reprieve – but a ceasefire in the Middle East doesn’t have the RBA popping champagne yet

The Guardian - World news

By: Patrick Commins Economics editor

16 June 2026 at 16:00

Governor Michele Bullock delivers a strong message after the Reserve Bank holds the cash rate at 4.35%, ending a run of three rises

It will take more than a ceasefire in the Middle East to prevent the Reserve Bank from hiking interest rates again.

That was the strong message from the RBA governor, Michele Bullock, after the central bank held its cash rate at 4.35%, putting an end to a run of three increases.

Warsh Faces Tenuous Balancing Act in First Fed Meeting as Chairman

NYT - Top Stories

By: Colby Smith

16 June 2026 at 10:03

Elevated inflation and the specter of rate increases will greet Kevin M. Warsh in his debut as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Kevin M. Warsh, the Federal Reserve chairman, has inherited a multitude of economic challenges.

Bank of Japan raises interest rates to 31-year high … of 1%

The Guardian - World news

By: Graeme Wearden

16 June 2026 at 11:41

Country acts amid Iran war inflation pressures, but US Fed and Bank of England expected to hold rates

Business live – latest updates

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) has raised interest rates to a 31-year high as it tries to dampen inflationary pressures created by the Iran war.

Policymakers in Tokyo raised the BoJ’s short-term policy rate by a quarter of one percentage point, to 1% from 0.75%, and warned that companies were passing on rising oil costs to each other at a “relatively fast pace”.

RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank holds official cash rate at 4.35%

The Guardian - World news

By: Luca Ittimani

16 June 2026 at 08:35

Reserve Bank of Australia decision on Tuesday comes after three consecutive cash rate hikes this year

The Reserve Bank has warned it is ready to raise interest rates further despite leaving its official interest rate on hold at 4.35%.

The widely expected decision on Tuesday will bring little relief to mortgage holders, already strained by the RBA’s three consecutive rate hikes earlier in 2026.

Japan Raises Rates to 31-Year High to Ward Off War Inflation

NYT - Top Stories

By: River Akira Davis and Kiuko Notoya

16 June 2026 at 05:41

Going against Prime Minister Takaichi’s wishes, Japan’s central bank acted amid U.S. pressure, a tanking currency and inflation from energy disruptions.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan in Tokyo last month. Her government spending agenda faces pressure from rising interest rates.

US and UK central banks expected to keep interest rates on hold amid Iran peace deal

The Guardian - World news

By: Phillip Inman

15 June 2026 at 13:43

Federal Reserve to make first decision under Kevin Warsh as Middle East hopes ease inflation pressures

Business live – latest updates

Central banks in the US and UK are expected to leave interest rates on hold this week as the peace deal in the Middle East is expected to ease inflationary pressures.

The US Federal Reserve is expected to hold its benchmark interest rate at a range of 3.5% to 3.75% on Thursday, in what will be the first policy decision under new Fed chair – and Donald Trump’s pick – Kevin Warsh.

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