Federal Reserve Meeting Minutes: Majority of Committee Members Believe Inflation Risk Outweighs Employment Risk

On August 21st, "The Fed's Whisperer" Nick Timiraos stated: The minutes of the Fed's meetings usually do not disclose a great deal of new information. Instead, they reinforce the information that is already public. Firstly, based on Powell's press conference, the overall sentiment of the committee during the July meeting was hawkish (at least in comparison to the market). Secondly, there is a clear emphasis on data and forecasts. That is, after the release of the August 1st jobs report, more officials showed a willingness to consider a rate cut in September. (FXStreet)

August 21st. The minutes of this week's Federal Reserve meeting made eight references to "stablecoins". Many participants engaged in discussions regarding recent and future developments related to payment stablecoins and their potential implications for the financial system. These participants pointed out that with the recent enactment of the "GENIUS Act" (the "U.S. Stablecoin Guidance and National Innovation Act"), the usage of payment stablecoins may witness an increase. Payment stablecoins contribute to enhancing the efficiency of the payment system. It has also been noticed that such stablecoins may lead to an increase in the demand for the underlying assets supporting them (including U.S. Treasuries). (Jinshi)

August 21st: In Nick Timiraos' latest article, titled "the Fed's Whisperer", it was reported that the minutes of today's policy meeting indicated that there was widespread support within the Fed for the decision made last month to keep interest rates unchanged. Although two officials advocated for a rate cut, a few others have aligned with Bullard and Bostic, suggesting that they may support a rate cut at the Fed's next meeting on September 16th and 17th. They pointed out that the transmission of tariff increases to consumer prices has been slower than anticipated, which is expected to help ease concerns about the potential new inflationary impact resulting from rising import costs. However, the "hawks" who are focused on inflation noted that since the last meeting, price pressures have been on the rise, including in the services sector. Kansas City Fed President Esther George stated in a speech last week that the impact of tariffs on inflation is limited. This is partly because the F

On August 21st, the minutes of the Federal Reserve's July meeting indicated that during the meeting held on July 30th, the concerns of some Federal Reserve officials about an economic slowdown had grown stronger. The minutes stated: "Several participants suggested that they anticipated that the pace of economic activity in the second half of the year would be significantly slower." The minutes also further noted: "Regarding the household sector, several participants observed that the deceleration in real income growth might be impeding the growth of consumer spending." It is important to note that these viewpoints were expressed several days before the release of the July jobs report, which revised down the estimated job gains for May and June by 258,000. Therefore, since the July meeting, the concerns about an economic slowdown potentially triggered by the softness in the labor market may have further intensified for some officials. (Jin10)

On August 21st, Coinbase will make Sapien (SAPIEN) available on the Base network. It is important to note that you should not send this asset through other networks as there is a risk of losing funds. If liquidity conditions are fulfilled, trading will commence later today. Once there is an adequate supply of this asset, the SAPIEN-USD trading pair will be gradually rolled out. In some jurisdictions, support for Sapien may be restricted.

August 21st: The Federal Reserve made public the minutes of its July meeting. It was noted in the meeting that during the discussion on the labor market, participants pointed out that the unemployment rate remains low and that employment has either reached or is close to the estimated maximum employment level. Several participants emphasized that the low level and stability of the unemployment rate are the outcome of a combination of low recruitment and low layoff rates. Some participants indicated that according to their contacts and business survey respondents, in a situation of high uncertainty, firms are reluctant to hire or lay off workers. Regarding the outlook for the labor market, some participants mentioned possible indicators of weak labor demand, such as the slowing of job growth which is more concentrated, an increase in the unemployment rate for Black and young workers, and job switchers having lower wage gains compared to those who remain in their jobs. (Jin10)