2026-03-18 18:17:34
Federal Reserve FOMC Statement Three Changes: Unemployment Rate Wording Adjusted, New Addition of Middle East Situation Impact, Waller Shifts to Support Unchanged Interest Rates
Gate News reports that on March 18, the Federal Reserve's FOMC released a statement on March 19, with three changes compared to the January statement:
First, adjustment to unemployment rate description, changing "unemployment rate has shown some signs of stabilization" to "unemployment rate has changed little in recent months";
Second, addition of Middle East situation-related statement, pointing out "the impact of Middle East developments on the U.S. economy remains uncertain";
Third, shift in stance by Federal Reserve Governor Waller, previously supporting a 25 basis point rate cut at the last meeting, now supporting keeping rates unchanged.