All eyes will be on the US Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech today. Investors will have the opportunity to hear Powell speak before the final FOMC meeting of the year, which takes place next week.
Powell is scheduled to speak at the Hoover Institution’s George P. Shultz Memorial Lecture Series: George Shultz and Economic Policy, Stanford, California at 8:00 p.m. on December 1, 2025. Chair Jerome H. Powell’s speech on December 1 can be watched live on the Hoover Institution’s website.
Fed Chair Powell
Powell will be delivering brief remarks and will be part of a panel discussion with Michael Boskin and Condoleezza Rice on George Shultz and his economic policy contributions.
Powell is set to retire as the FED chair after finishing his second four-year term in May 2026, but will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Governors till January 31, 2028. Kevin Hassett is the leading candidate to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve Chair when his term concludes next year.
Powell and Rate Cuts
The next FOMC Meeting is taking place next week on December 9-10. On December 10, Powell will make the FOMC monetary policy announcement. The markets anticipate a rate cut of 25 basis points, the third such rate drop this year.
The Fed’s two primary objectives are to support the job market and maintain moderate inflation.
In September, US inflation came in lower than expected, and the core CPI has also risen less than expected. White House had announced that the October US CPI may not be released because of the US shutdown.
The labour market is throwing up mixed signals. Although the labor market is finding it difficult to create enough opportunities for individuals without jobs in the face of economic uncertainty, the number of Americans submitting new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to a seven-month low last week, indicating layoffs remained modest. Therefore, in the December FOMC meeting, a cut is extremely likely if the Fed thinks that inflation is under control but employment appears to be sluggish.