When will the Federal reserve convene once more? Here are some important facts and the date of the next rate increase.

The Federal Reserve increased the interest rate by half a percentage point during its meeting in December, bringing the current interest rate range from 4.25% to 4.5%. Federal Reserve officials expected they would need to boost interest rates more than they had anticipated because inflation was still present.

What you need to know about the most recent Fed meeting, when it is, why the Fed raises interest rates, and what it implies for inflation is provided below.

What date is the following Fed meeting?

Tuesday, January 31, and Wednesday, February 1, 2023, are set aside for the next Federal Reserve meeting. The first gathering of the year will take place at this time.

On December 13 and 14, the Fed held its most recent meeting. As the Fed plots its final move in its aggressive attempt to rein in skyrocketing inflation, the interest rate was increased by half a percentage point. This represents dialing back from recent disproportionate increases.

Does the Fed raise interest rates for what reasons?

As the country’s central bank, the Fed is in charge of setting monetary policy. This indicates that the Fed regulates the money supply and sets interest rates.

The promotion of “maximum employment and stable pricing in the US economy” is its dual purpose. With its long-term annual target set at 2%, the Fed attempts to control inflation in order to maintain stable prices. The federal funds rate, which is what banks charge one another for overnight loans, is one of the key instruments the Fed uses to keep inflation under control. In general, banks pass on their increased costs if that rate increases.

Although the Fed does not directly regulate all interest rates in the nation, when it rises the fed funds rate, other interest rates, such as those on adjustable-rate mortgages, credit cards, home equity lines of credit, and other loans, soon follow.

Inflation: What is it?

Gas, rent, and food are just a few examples of the various commodities and services that are affected by inflation, which is a generalized increase in price. There are a number of things that can contribute to it, like an increase in the number of individuals spending money on products or services that are in short supply. Thus, producers and service providers can raise prices without having to worry about suffering a sizable decline in sales.

A lack of supply may also be the cause of inflation. if there are insufficient commodities to satisfy the demand this might result in a rise in a manufacturer’s or retailer’s wholesale expenses for a good or service, which would then be passed on to customers through higher retail pricing.

In 2022, how many times did the Fed raise interest rates?

Last year, the Fed increased interest rates seven times. Rates had remained close to zero because of the pandemic’s shutdown of the economy before the Fed raised them by 0.25 percentage points in March. It had been more than three years since the last hike.

The Fed’s key rate was raised to a range of 3.75% to 4.00% after the second hike, this time by 0.50 percentage points, which occurred in May. Subsequent increases of 0.75 percentage points then occurred in June, July, September, and November. With the most recent half-point increase occurring in December, the range is now between 4.25% and 4.5%.

Are the Fed’s interest rate increases causing inflation to decline?

There have been a few hints that inflation is decreasing.

The consumer price index, the most generally used inflation indicator, revealed that overall prices increased 6.5% from a year earlier in December, down from a four-decade high of 9.1% in June.

For instance, the monthly increase in jobs in the United States dropped from 537,000 in July to 223,000 in December. Declining from a 5.2% increase in August, average hourly salaries increased by 4.6% in December.

As supply-chain bottlenecks clear, commodity prices decline, a strong currency reduces import costs, and merchants offer discounts to offload bloated inventory, economists have anticipated that inflation will weaken even in the absence of significant Fed rate rises.

What is the ceiling of Fed interest rates?

According to the median prediction of policymakers, the Fed now anticipates that the rate will end in 2023 in the range of 5% to 5.25%, up from the 4.5% to 4.75% it had predicted in September. In order to assist an economy that will undoubtedly be negatively impacted by rate rises, it projects that it will reduce the rate from 3.9% in September to 4.1% by the end of 2024.