GOLD - Fed pauses but signals higher interest rates

The Federal Reserve recently concluded a highly anticipated policy meeting, deciding to maintain the current benchmark interest rate at a range of 5.00% to 5.25%, aligning with market expectations.

This unanimous decision, widely communicated by some senior members of the FOMC in recent weeks, indicates that policymakers remain consistent and agree on the strategy to address inflation and bring it back to the long-term target of 2.0%.

The decision to hold steady comes as the Fed seeks more time to assess the outlook for growth and the cumulative impact of past actions. In the context, the central bank has raised rates at each of the past ten consecutive meetings, bringing a total tightening of 500 basis points since March 2022, in one of the most aggressive normalization cycles in decades.