- In the Colombian Pacific, fighting to save sharks
- Argentina's Matera banned for Italy Test after red card
- Vientos grand slam propels Mets in series-tying win over Dodgers
- Supporters of ex-Bolivia leader Morales block roads over possible arrest
- Germany into Nations League quarters, France and Italy win
- Nagelsmann lauds 'supercharged' Germany's 'best half of the year'
- 'Pandas are coming': Two new bears depart China for US capital
- Dodgers pitcher Kershaw plans to return for 2025
- Mbappe 'investigated for rape' in Sweden: report
- Revived Italy sweep past Israel in Nations League amid high security
- Trudeau slams India as tensions soar over Sikh separatist's murder
- Harris courts Black voters as Trump makes inroads
- Wall Street stocks hit fresh records as oil prices slide
- Nigerian team return home after boycotting AFCON qualifier in Libya
- Nigeria refuse to play in Libya as Algeria, Cameroon qualify
- Strike-hit Boeing leaves experts puzzled by strategy
- Leweling rockets Germany past Dutch and into Nations League quarterfinals
- Kolo Muani double fires France to win in Belgium
- Italy sweep past Israel in Nations League amid high security
- UN peacekeepers to 'stay in all positions' in Lebanon
- NASA launches probe to study if life possible on icy Jupiter moon
- 'Unique' Ronaldo an example to everyone, says Martinez
- New lawsuits against Sean Combs allege sex assault, including of minor
- Italy begins migrant transfers to Albania with first group of 16
- Google signs nuclear power deal with startup Kairos
- Carsley open to foreign England manager amid Guardiola links
- Pogba hungry to have his football cake after doping ban
- India and Canada expel top envoys in Sikh separatist killing row
- Mbappe says victim of 'fake news' after 'rape' report in Sweden
- Lebanon says 21 killed in strike on northern village
- Netanyahu vows no mercy after deadly Hezbollah drone strike
- Russia could be able to attack NATO by 2030: German intelligence
- EVs seek to regain sales momentum at Paris Motor Show
- Clarke backs Scotland to bounce back from 'tough' run
- Harris, Trump target crucial Pennsylvania as US vote looms
- NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon
- Lebanese Red Cross says 18 killed in strike in north
- Mendy borrowed money from Man City team-mates for legal fees
- Palestinian officials say Israeli forces kill two in West Bank
- Football leagues, unions file EU complaint against FIFA in calendar dispute
- Nigeria boycott AFCON qualifier in Libya after 'inhumane treatment'
- India to recall top envoy to Canada: foreign ministry
- Hezbollah, Israeli troops in 'violent clashes' after drone strike
- China insists won't renounce 'use of force' to take Taiwan as drills end
- Painkiller sale plan to US gives France major headache
- Italy begins landmark migrant transfers to Albania
- Russia jails French researcher for three years
- 'Unsustainable' housing crisis bedevils Spain's socialist govt
- Stocks shrug off China disappointment but oil slides
- New Zealand 4-0 up in America's Cup but British show signs of life
US Fed could hike rates again if 'appropriate': Powell
The US Federal Reserve is prepared, if needed, to hike interest rates further in order to bring inflation down to its long-term two-percent target, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday.
"We know that ongoing progress toward our two percent goal is not assured: Inflation has given us a few head fakes," Powell told a conference in Washington in prepared remarks.
"If it becomes appropriate to tighten policy further, we will not hesitate to do so," he added.
Powell's remarks come just over a week after the US central bank voted to hold its interest rate steady at a 22-year high for the second consecutive meeting, fueling expectations that it was done raising it.
While the Fed's rate setting committee is "committed" to achieving a sufficiently tight stance of monetary policy, "we are not confident that we have achieved such a stance," Powell said.
The Fed chair's comments suggest the US central bank is still concerned about the possibility of a re-acceleration of inflation, which has more than halved since peaking last year, according to the Fed's favored yardstick.
But despite the Fed's aggressive monetary tightening, which brought rates to a level between 5.25-5.50 percent, it recently noted that US economic activity remained strong in the third quarter.
It also found that "job gains have slowed in recent months but remain strong, and the unemployment rate has remained low."
The strong economy has increased the likelihood of a so-called "soft landing," whereby the Fed succeeds in tackling inflation without plunging the United States into recession.
Speaking on Wednesday, Powell indicated the Fed would proceed cautiously, "allowing us to address both the risk of being misled by a few good months of data, and the risk of overtightening."
Futures traders currently assign a probability of more than 90 percent that the Fed will vote to hold interest rates steady at its next rate meeting in December, according to data from CME Group.
J.Oliveira--AMWN