Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 18
Warsh Fuels October Rate-Hike Bets After 25-Basis-Point Move to 3.75%-4%
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 18

Warsh Fuels October Rate-Hike Bets After 25-Basis-Point Move to 3.75%-4%

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 18

Summary

  • October hike odds rose to about 58% from 42% a week earlier after Kevin Warsh said the Fed had removed only “a dose of accommodation” with Wednesday’s quarter-point increase.
  • Warsh tied that language to a stronger U.S. economy and easier financial conditions, while dismissing the neutral-rate framework as academically useful but not operational for current decisions.
  • Goldman Sachs and Bank of America now expect another October increase, with BofA also forecasting a December move as Wall Street reads the remarks as a more open-ended tightening signal.
  • Fed funds futures imply a 4.635% rate by late 2027—roughly three or four more hikes—though some investors see the shift as mainly reversing 2025 “insurance” cuts rather than launching an aggressive cycle.

Insights

Why are financial conditions actually easing while the Fed hikes rates, and what hidden forces are controlling the economy's momentum?
If raising rates isn't truly tightening the economy, what drastic moves will the Fed use next to crush sticky inflation?
Could the AI boom secretly be driving down the neutral rate, making the Fed's accommodative stance a dangerous miscalculation?