Fed In Focus: Meeting Starts Tomorrow As Investors Check Retail Sales, Producer Prices

Fed In Focus: Meeting Starts Tomorrow As Investors Check Retail Sales, Producer Prices

Fed week is here, and once again analysts expect Chairman Powell and company to stay the course on rates and stimulus. For now, at least. Last week's sizzling May inflation data and continued strong jobs growth could be under a microscope when the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) gets together tomorrow. Worries about rising prices could be high on the list of reporters' questions when Powell holds his press conference the next day. It's a precarious time in the economy with inflation worries and people getting back to work, so the Fed is probably going to have to be incredibly measured as it always is and perhaps a little more so. While the Fed seems to be sticking to its view that inflation is transitory (to borrow a Fed expression), some members have come out lately and mentioned the chance of a stimulus tapering. It would be very surprising to see anything like that right away, but there's growing sense it could get more of an official stamp of approval by the end of the summer or early fall, according to a Reuters poll of economists. People likely want to see if Powell can shed more light on the timing.