Federal Reserve's Waller discusses economic outlook at Istanbul Forum
Summary
On October 8, 2026, Governor Waller delivered a speech at the Istanbul Economic Forum, focusing on the U.S. economic outlook and recent shifts in monetary policy. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) had recently raised its policy rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.75 percent to 4 percent after maintaining it steady for nine months, citing a stable labor market and persistent inflation pressures stemming from factors like high energy prices. Waller emphasized that the FOMC's communication strategy, including the Summary of Economic Projections, aims to indicate the potential direction of future policy changes while allowing for flexibility based on economic data, as they address inflation that has remained above the 2 percent target for an extended period.