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On April 30th, U.S. President Donald Trump said now is a good time to cut interest rates, according to FXStreet.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said April 30 that high inflation is partly driven by rising energy prices, noting the central bank’s current policy stance is appropriate. Middle East developments have amplified uncertainty, posing risks to both sides of the Fed’s dual mandate. Consumer spending remains robust, while labor demand has softened. (Wall Street 10)

April 30: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will hold a monetary policy press conference in 10 minutes.

On April 30, former U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a brief ceasefire in Ukraine. Should Iran fail to reach an agreement, remaining missiles and systems will be destroyed. It is believed the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran will conclude around the same time. Russian President Vladimir Putin opposes Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. (Source: Jinse)

On April 30, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady as expected. Of the 12 voting FOMC members, 4 dissented—marking the highest number of opposing votes since October 1992. Per the FOMC statement: Fed Governor Milan dissented against holding rates steady, favoring a 25-basis-point rate cut. Cleveland Fed President Hamek, Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari, and Dallas Fed President Logan voted to keep rates unchanged but objected to retaining the statement’s dovish language. The statement retained the word “further” in the phrase “when considering the extent and timing of adjustments to the federal funds rate target range”—a term markets had expected to be removed to dial back the implied signal of a potential rate cut. This is widely expected to be Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s final FOMC meeting. (FXStreet)

April 30 — The Federal Reserve held its federal funds target rate range steady at 3.50%-3.75% for the third straight meeting, matching market expectations. But the FOMC meeting showed a clear voting split, with an 8-4 outcome. Among the members, Fed Governor Stephen Miran dissented, calling for an immediate 25-basis-point rate cut; Hamack, Cashkali, and Logan also dissented, opposing the addition of any dovish language to the statement. The statement noted the U.S. economy continues to expand at a "moderate pace," but overall job growth remains weak, and inflation stays high—partially fueled by surging global energy prices. The Fed also stressed that escalating tensions in the Middle East are ramping up economic uncertainty. Notably, the Fed retained wording about "the magnitude and timing of further adjustments to interest rates," not fully removing the "further adjustments" phrase. This signals a sharp widening of disagreements within the committee over the future policy pat