The New York Times - Business: This post first appeared in The New York Times - Business. Read the original article.

Fed officials are watching labor trends as they contemplate when to cut rates. But different measures are telling different stories.

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged for a sixth straight meeting and suggested that rates will stay high for longer.

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged for a sixth straight meeting and suggested that rates will stay high for longer.

Economists are wondering whether political developments could play into both the Fed’s near-term decisions and its long-term independence.

Policymakers are expected to leave borrowing costs unchanged, but investors are bracing for signals that rates will stay higher for longer.

High rates usually pull down asset prices and hurt the housing market. Those channels are muted now, possibly making policy slower to work.

Stubborn inflation has led traders to forecast far fewer rate cuts by the Federal Reserve than just a few months ago.

A wave of rapid immigration is taxing local resources around the country and drawing political ire. But it might leave America’s economy better off.

Stubborn inflation and strong growth could keep the Federal Reserve wary about interest rate cuts, eager to avoid adding vim to the economy.