1549 ET - The minutes from the Fed's April meeting arrive Wednesday afternoon. But perhaps just interesting to some Fed watchers will be two public appearances by Fed governor Christopher Waller. He is speaking on a panel Tuesday morning and delivering an economic-outlook speech on Friday morning, both while traveling in Germany. Up until the spring, Waller was one of the Fed officials who most favored further interest-rate cuts, although the Iran conflict has tempered his stance amid new inflation concerns. If Waller further distances himself from 2026 rate cuts, or even suggests he thinks the Fed may need to raise rates this year, it would be a stark sign of how much the Middle East energy-market shock has altered the Fed's balance of risks, Brent Donnelly of Spectra Markets writes. (matt.grossman@wsj.com; @mattgrossman)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 18, 2026 15:49 ET (19:49 GMT)
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