#PowellRemarks Rhetoric that shapes the market, or a market that shapes rhetoric?
When Jerome Powell steps up to the microphone, markets hold their breath not due to the words — but because of the pauses between them. His recent statements about maintaining the rate at 4.25–4.5% are not just monetary policy; this is a _performance of restraint_ in an era of political pressure and inflationary uncertainty.
Powell is not lowering the rate, despite pressure from the president. But is this a manifestation of strength or fear? His phrase “we are well positioned to wait” sounds like the mantra of the Fed, balancing between inflationary risks and political theater. In this “waiting” lies the essence of modern monetary philosophy: do not act until the market shows the way itself.
But the market is not a compass. It is a mirror. And when Powell is reflected in it, we see not only the head of the Fed but also the archetype of the modern technocrat: cautious, rational, but no longer all-powerful.
#PowellRemarks —this is not just a speech. This is a _ritual of trust_, where every word is measured, and every pause is a strategy. And while he remains silent about lowering the rate, the market speaks for him.