Senate Republicans questioned whether new rules were needed and noted that the Fed had had the authority to force Silicon Valley to address its shortcomings. read more >

The Fed chair also underscored that the central bank remains focused on fighting high inflation, which could require additional rate hikes. read more >

Most Fed watchers expect the central bank to announce on Wednesday afternoon a relatively modest quarter-point hike in its benchmark rate. read more >

U.S. consumer price increases eased slightly from January to February but still pointed to an elevated inflation rate that is posing a challenge for the Federal Reserve at a delicate moment for the financial system. read more >

Powell's comments raise the possibility that the Fed will increase its key interest rate by a half-percentage point at its next meeting March 21-22, after having carried out a quarter-point hike in early February. read more >

Just a month ago, the economy appeared to be cooling and inflation steadily declining. But a spate of government data has since painted a very different picture. read more >

Friday's report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose 0.6% from December to January, up sharply from a 0.2% increase from November to December. read more >

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the benchmark 30-year rate rose to 6.5% from 6.32% last week. The average rate a year ago was 3.89%. read more >

Overall, the minutes released Wednesday showed that the Fed's policymakers emphasized their determination to keep rates high to curb inflation even as they welcomed a slowdown since the fall. read more >

So far, most of the slowdown in inflation reflects freer-flowing supply chains and earlier declines in gas prices. read more >

It's the third straight week that the four-week moving average has been below 200,000 and the ninth straight weekly decline. read more >

Friday's jobs report suggests the possibility that the long-standing connection between a vigorous job market and high inflation has broken down. read more >

The Fed's rate increase Wednesday, though smaller than its half-point hike in December and the four three-quarter-point hikes before that, will likely further raise the costs of many consumer and business loans and the risk of a recession. read more >

On an annual basis, wages and benefits grew 5.1% in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier. read more >

A change in its statement, if there is one, could be seen as signaling an eventual pause in the Fed's aggressive drive to raise borrowing costs. read more >

One reason for the tentative optimism is evidence that an acceleration in U.S. wages, which has benefited workers but also heightened inflation, is slowing. read more >

America's employers added a solid 223,000 jobs in December, but last month's gain was the smallest in two years. read more >

In the minutes of their mid-December meeting released Wednesday, the officials also underscored that a slowdown in their rate hikes — from four three-quarter point hikes in a row to a half-point increase — "was not an indication of any weakening" in their resolve to bring inflation back down to their 2% target. read more >

The central bank boosted its benchmark rate a half-point to a range of 4.25% to 4.5%, its highest level in 15 years. read more >

The leading cause of the worker shortfall, according to research by the Fed, is a surge in retirements. read more >