Monetary policy could face crosswinds next year if President-elect Donald Trump fulfills his campaign promises to cut taxes, restrain immigration and deploy tariffs. Policy uncertainty may also be contributing to the Fed’s more inertial attitude toward lowering rates right now.

Chair Jerome Powell says the Federal Reserve will likely cut its key interest rate slowly and deliberately in the coming months, in part because inflation has shown signs of persistence and the Fed’s officials want to see where it heads next.

Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said the strong US economy has given central bankers room to lower interest rates at a careful pace.