The central bank also noted that the banking system is sound but faces several challenges. The report precedes Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming appearances on Capitol Hill.

Warren chided the Federal Reserve chairman for having multiple private meetings and talks with top executives — including 19 with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell brushed away concerns that a second Trump presidency could imperil the central bank's independence.

It comes as investors begin to reshuffle their portfolios at the mid-year mark, while traders earlier this week embraced bets on 3 percentage points of cuts over the next nine months.

Cook expects three- and six-month inflation rates to continue to move lower on a "bumpy path," with monthly data similar to the "favorable" readings seen in the second half of 2023 for the rest of the year.

Potentially limiting the Federal Reserve's ability to cut rates is the growing view that the economy's so-called neutral rate — a theoretical level of borrowing costs that neither stimulates nor slows growth — is much higher than policymakers are currently projecting. 

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin said he needs further clarity on the path of inflation before lowering interest rates

The Federal Reserve held firm on its current interest rate levels after its latest meeting, but inflation numbers are leading to talk of potential action in third and fourth quarters.

Forty-four percent of respondents said they expect Trump to seek to to politicize the central bank or limit its power if he returns to the White House. Overall, they put a probability of 40% on the Fed losing its autonomy under a second Trump administration. 

Beth Hammack, who stepped down as the bank's co-head of global finance earlier this year, will take the helm as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland later this summer following the retirement of longtime President Loretta Mester.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michael Barr Monday spoke at length about efforts to enhance banks' liquidity and long-term debt positions after last year's bank failures while saying little about the capital hikes in the embattled interagency Basel III endgame proposal.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there have been "no decisions" on the controversial capital reform plan, but banks and others who have criticized the proposal are eager for an indication about what's next.

The Federal Open Market Committee thinks that confusing everyone completely is good for confidence, that intangible but entirely necessary ingredient for financial stability, writes the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

What ultimately keeps the balance-sheet reduction going, the bank said, is the fact that the Federal Reserve will likely be undeterred by any brief spikes in a key overnight funding benchmark — the rate on overnight repurchase agreements.

The Federal Open Market Committee held the federal funds rate at current levels, citing "lack of further progress" toward meeting inflation goals.

Recent economic data have shown inflation stubbornly above the Fed's 2% target, putting rate cuts in jeopardy. Lauren Saidel-Baker, an economist with ITR Economics, parses the FOMC meeting, Chair Powell's press conference and takes a look at future policy.

The Federal Reserve's Office of the Inspector General says the Fed has yet to fulfill 65 recommendations, and also identified 18 outstanding issues at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Federal Reserve chair's comments coincide with the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Washington. They also come as groups like the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision are being scrutinized.

The Federal Home Loan Bank System stepped up advances by 37% or more to Silicon Valley, Signature and First Republic banks ahead of their failures, the GAO says in a post-mortem on last year's banking crisis. The findings add to the debate about whether the system should be a lender of last resort.

With Americans expected to owe more than usual this year due to higher incomes and a booming stock market, bank reserves could potentially fall below a key level many speculate is critical to funding-market stability.