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Treasuries Rise as Fed Minutes Reveal Discussion of Pausing Balance-Sheet Runoff

(Bloomberg) -- US Treasuries rose after the minutes from last month’s Federal Reserve meeting revealed policymakers discussed pausing or slowing the balance-sheet runoff until the government’s debt-ceiling drama is resolved.Most Read from BloombergTrump to Halt NY Congestion Pricing by Terminating ApprovalSorry, Kids: Disney’s New York Headquarters Is for Grown-UpsAirbnb Billionaire Offers Pre-Fab Homes for LA Fire VictimsChild Migrant Watchdog Gutted in DOGE CutsChicago Council Delays $830 Mill

Oil Edges Higher in Aimless Trade as Supply Uncertainties Rise

(Bloomberg) -- Uncertainties about crude supplies from Russia, Kazakhstan and OPEC+ pushed oil prices higher. Most Read from BloombergTrump to Halt NY Congestion Pricing by Terminating ApprovalSorry, Kids: Disney’s New York Headquarters Is for Grown-UpsAirbnb Billionaire Offers Pre-Fab Homes for LA Fire VictimsChild Migrant Watchdog Gutted in DOGE CutsChicago Council Delays $830 Million Bond Vote Amid ScrutinyWest Texas Intermediate edged above $72 a barrel, extending gains to the highest closin

Fed officials weighed slowing or pausing bond drawdown last month

(Reuters) -Uncertainty over how the U.S. Treasury will manage debt issuance over the next few months drove some Federal Reserve officials to contemplate at their last policy meeting slowing or pausing the ongoing drawdown of their balance sheet until greater clarity arrives. Fed officials, in minutes of the central bank’s January 28-29 Federal Open Market Committee meeting released on Wednesday, flagged the challenge of getting a clean read on market liquidity as the government wrangles over spending plans amid a legally mandated borrowing cap that will affect how the Treasury Department manages its cash. “Regarding the potential for significant swings in reserves over coming months related to debt ceiling dynamics, various participants noted that it may be appropriate to consider pausing or slowing balance sheet runoff until the resolution of this event,” the minutes noted.

Fed Minutes Signal Officials on Hold Until Inflation Improves

(Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve officials in January expressed their readiness to hold interest rates steady amid stubborn inflation and economic-policy uncertainty.Most Read from BloombergTrump to Halt NY Congestion Pricing by Terminating ApprovalSorry, Kids: Disney’s New York Headquarters Is for Grown-UpsAirbnb Billionaire Offers Pre-Fab Homes for LA Fire VictimsChild Migrant Watchdog Gutted in DOGE CutsChicago Council Delays $830 Million Bond Vote Amid Scrutiny“Participants indicated that, pro

Federal Reserve officials see risks of higher inflation ahead, support pause in rate cuts

Federal Reserve officials at a meeting last month pointed to rising risks that inflation could worsen, a key reason they kept their benchmark interest rate unchanged. According to minutes of the Jan. 28-29 meeting, which were released Wednesday, Fed officials said that President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and mass deportations of migrants, as well as strong consumer spending, were factors that could push inflation higher this year. The Fed's 19 officials who participate in its interest-rate decisions indicated that “they would want to see further progress on inflation before making” any further cuts.

Potential impact of Trump policies stirring inflation concerns at Fed, minutes show

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's initial policy proposals raised concern at the Federal Reserve about higher inflation, with firms telling the U.S. central bank they generally expected to raise prices to pass along the cost of import tariffs, policymakers said at a meeting held about a week after Trump's January 20 inauguration. Participants at the U.S. central bank's January 28-29 meeting "generally pointed to the upside risks to the inflation outlook," rather than risks to the job market, according to the minutes from the meeting, which were released on Wednesday. "In particular, participants cited the possible effects of potential changes in trade and immigration policy, the potential for geopolitical developments to disrupt supply chains, or stronger-than-expected household spending."