Fed Officials Back Rate-Cut Pause as Inflation Concerns Linger

Several Federal Reserve officials speaking Thursday signaled a willingness to pause interest-rate cuts at their upcoming policy meeting, citing a labor market that appears to be stabilizing and ongoing inflation pressures.

Five presidents of regional Fed banks, who in recent months have found themselves on opposite sides of the policy debate, indicated the US central bank is now well positioned to wait for more data before acting again. The Fed is widely expected to leave its benchmark unchanged at its Jan. 27-28 meeting, following rate cuts at each of its last three gatherings.