Federal Reserve's Voice: Powell Stays, No Rate Cuts, Walsh Faces Dilemma

On April 30, Nick Timiraos, the chief economics reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Washington and known as the 'voice of the Federal Reserve,' published an article discussing the latest Federal Reserve meeting. He pointed out that uncertainties surrounding interest rate direction and power transition are emerging simultaneously. On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell clearly stated at a press conference that he would not resign immediately and would continue to serve as a governor after completing the transition of the chairmanship next month. This decision breaks the tradition of the past 75 years, where previous chairmen completely left the central bank upon the arrival of their successors. At the same time, several Federal Reserve officials have sent a consistent signal: there will be no rate cuts in the short term. Three of Powell's colleagues publicly disagreed with the wording of policy communication, opposing the continued implication that the likelihood of rate cuts is higher than that of rate hikes. Cleveland Fed President Mester, Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari, and Dallas Fed President Logan indicated through this stance that, in the context of rising energy prices, core inflation remaining around 3%, and the ongoing effects of tariffs, it is difficult for monetary policy to shift towards easing. Timiraos noted that incoming Chairman Kevin Walsh thus faces a dual constraint: on one hand, the White House hopes to see rate cuts; on the other hand, a more hawkish consensus is emerging within the Federal Open Market Committee.