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The Fed's high-wire act just got even more perilous
CNN
Investors were spooked by the discovery of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Now, they're contending with another wrinkle in the outlook: The Federal Reserve could be prepared to roll back stimulus measures faster than planned because of persistent inflation.
What's happening: Stocks fell sharply on Tuesday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell told Congress that plans to taper asset purchases by $15 billion each month may no longer be appropriate, and the central bank may need to move quicker. The S&P 500 and Dow both closed down 1.9%, while the Nasdaq Composite finished the day 1.6% lower.
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Over the past 10 days, Vice President JD Vance put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on notice, rattled the confidence of century-old allies in Western Europe during his first foreign trip, decamped to Capitol Hill to help in delicate budget talks and delivered a spirited defense of the Trump administration’s first month to a gathering of conservatives outside the nation’s capital.