The Federal Reserve will likely keep rates unchanged, at next week’s meeting and through 2026, as recent data has bought the FOMC some breathing room, according to economists at Natixis. Economists Christopher Hodge and Selin Aker wrote in Natixis’ FOMC preview that while data from the intermeeting period was sparse, it leaned dovish. “[T]he one Employment Situation Report since the June meeting was mixed but a bit softer than in the previous prints,” they wrote. “Payrolls registered a gain of 57k in June, following gains that averaged 164k in the preceding three months.” Natixis believes the changing composition of ... (full story)