US President Donald Trump says he told Fed Chair to 'do what you want' ahead of rate hike
US President Donald Trump said that he counseled Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Kevin Warsh to vote for an interest rate hike because other Fed policymakers were expected to vote that way anyway, the Washington post reported on Wednesday.
"I told Kevin, I said, 'You might as well vote with the board because it's just not going to matter. . . . The board is very hostile,” said Trump. "They're very political. They're doing the wrong thing. They're a bunch of politicians. They are people put on by politicians,” he added.
Trump further stated that he doesn't expect Warsh to follow his directions, saying he wanted the Fed "to be independent.”
His comments came hours after Fed officials voted unanimously to raise the interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) for the first time in three years.
Market reaction
At the time of writing, the US Dollar Index (DXY) is up 0.03% on the day at 100.35.
Fed FAQs
Monetary policy in the US is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, it raises interest rates, increasing borrowing costs throughout the economy. This results in a stronger US Dollar (USD) as it makes the US a more attractive place for international investors to park their money. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates to encourage borrowing, which weighs on the Greenback.
The Federal Reserve (Fed) holds eight policy meetings a year, where the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) assesses economic conditions and makes monetary policy decisions. The FOMC is attended by twelve Fed officials – the seven members of the Board of Governors, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and four of the remaining eleven regional Reserve Bank presidents, who serve one-year terms on a rotating basis.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve may resort to a policy named Quantitative Easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used during crises or when inflation is extremely low. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy high grade bonds from financial institutions. QE usually weakens the US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process of QE, whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing, to purchase new bonds. It is usually positive for the value of the US Dollar.