Members commenced their discussion of financial conditions by considering ongoing uncertainty in the global environment. Members noted that a range of new geopolitical and institutional risks had emerged since the previous meeting, including military action, tariff developments and new threats to the independence of the US Federal Reserve. For the most part, these had prompted only modest and short-lived reactions in financial markets. That said, the US dollar had weakened against a range of currencies and there had been strong gains in precious metals prices over much of January. Some of these effects had unwound ... (full story)