Amid a period of heightened interest-rate uncertainty, the central bank just offered investors a promising silver lining.

The Fed’s first rate hike since 2023 eased some bond-market fears, but mortgage and borrowing costs could remain elevated.

All three major U.S. stock indexes closed lower for the seventh time in the past eight sessions after the Fed chairman made it clear inflation is still a problem.

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh has said he thinks policymakers should do a lot less talking. He followed his own advice on Wednesday when he held the shortest press conference on record for a Fed chair speaking after a regularly-scheduled policy meeting.

The Federal Reserve’s rate increase and Chairman Kevin Warsh’s messaging helped reassure investors about the central bank’s commitment to fighting inflation.

About six weeks ago, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh announced that a divided central bank was keeping its key interest rate unchanged.

Traders have assigned a better than 90% probability that the FOMC will vote to raise the overnight funds rate a quarter point.

Fed chief Warsh acknowledged that an interest-rate hike won't open the Strait of Hormuz or contain high oil prices, but he said the Fed can help prevent inflation from spreading beyond energy. "We can't affect any individual price,