U.S. inflation data in the coming week could test the nerves of stock investors and further inflame worries about rising Treasury yields and uncertainty over Donald Trump's policy plans. After back-to-back standout years,

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said she sees lingering inflation risks and that policymakers should proceed cautiously with further interest-rate cuts. “The rate of inflation declined significantly in 2023,

Top Federal Reserve officials — including Chair Jerome Powell — are increasingly pointing to an obscure price gauge as a reason to maintain confidence in their outlook: “market-based” inflation.

The recent rise in long-term interest rates reflects higher risk premiums as opposed to concerns about inflation, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin said.

Participants for the most part favored slowing the pace of rate cuts, after approving a 0.25% reduction last month, the third of the year and which, combined, brought interest rates down 1%. The Federal Reserve's committee's next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 28-29.

Inflation has cooled considerably since peaking in June 2022, but the annual rate remains above the Federal Reserve's goal of 2%. Fed officials and economists expect inflation to stay above the central bank's target level in 2025. Economists say that the tariffs that President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to implement could drive up prices.

Bitcoin is down Wednesday, but didn't move much after the Federal Reserve hinted it would be slow to cut interest rates this year.

These are today's mortgage and refinance rates. Mortgage rates are flat, but incoming job market and inflation data could push them up or down.

Fred Krueger, a crypto investor with more than 125,000 followers on X and author of a book about Bitcoin, recently claimed that the rate of inflation for cars, houses, Ivy League college tuition, and health care have exceeded the growth rate of family income since 1971.

To summarize, the Federal Reserve has already lowered by 50% the number of anticipated interest rate cuts in 2025. It was four in September, but that number dropped to two at the December meeting. Policymakers may revise that number lower if their economic projections once again prove incorrect.