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Bond investor Jeff Gundlach talks to CNBC about Fed's rate pause, Warsh reducing vote-setting meetings

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In short

The Federal Reserve opted to keep its benchmark rate unchanged at its October gathering, though U.S. inflation remains above the preferred 2% target. Chairman Warsh noted that one meeting in 2027 and two in 2028 will focus entirely on monetary policy strategy rather than interest rate adjustments. Despite the current standstill, market pricing tracked by CME's FedWatch tool signals an 85% probability of a 25-basis-point increase in December. DoubleLine founder Jeff Gundlach will offer analysis on the move following his past critiques that previous rate hikes were too small.

Key points

  • Central bank policymakers are waiting to assess further economic data before adjusting ra…: Central bank policymakers are waiting to assess further economic data before adjusting rates to combat above-target inflation.
  • Markets widely expect monetary policy to tighten again before the close of the year.: Markets widely expect monetary policy to tighten again before the close of the year.
  • Future Federal Reserve annual schedules will dedicate specific sessions exclusively to lo…: Future Federal Reserve annual schedules will dedicate specific sessions exclusively to long-term policy strategy instead of rate adjustments.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

DoubleLine founder Jeff Gundlach will appear on CNBC's "Closing Bell" Wednesday to react to the Federal Reserve's decision to leave interest rates unchanged at its October meeting.

Fed Chairman Warsh also announced that one meeting in 2027 and two in 2028 of the scheduled eight gatherings for the central bank will be focused on monetary policy strategy, where no vote on altering the federal funds rate will take place.

After the Fed's decision to hike rates by 25 basis points at its September meeting, Gundlach told CNBC that the central bank should have raised interest rates by even more. He argued that the bank should have raised rates by 50 basis points, rather than raise them gradually over various meetings.

He added he was worried that the scale of the inflation picture in the U.S. — which remains above the annualized 2% target rate of the Fed — wasn't fully respected.

Despite holding rates steady on Wednesday, there is still an 85% chance the Fed raises interest rates by 25 basis points at its December meeting, according to CME's FedWatch tool. In a statement announcing the decision Wednesday the bank said it will use further information to determine the correct policy to ensure a return to the Fed's inflation goal of 2%.

Original source: www.cnbc.com

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