Leaders | Economic exceptionalism

America seems immune to the world economy’s problems

Elsewhere, political dysfunction and fiscal frailties are taking a toll

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
Photograph: Reuters

Add monetary policy to the list of ways in which America’s economy stands out. Central banks in Canada, Sweden and the euro zone all recently began cutting interest rates. Yet the Federal Reserve on June 12th again postponed its plans for monetary loosening. Even though rates in America have risen higher than in other big rich countries and inflation is falling, the median Fed rate-setter expects a cut of just one quarter of a percentage point this year.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “American exceptionalism”

From the June 15th 2024 edition

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