Judy Shelton has been a skeptic of the need for the Fed’s independence
Trump has called Fed officials “boneheads” for not continuing to cut rates
Last month, 61.2% of American adults had jobs
The U.S-China deal underpins the rating agency's global outlook, but uncertainty lingers
After a slow start to the holiday shopping season, sales rose 0.3% in December
The U.S. central bank's first 2020 beige book carries same upbeat message as its late-December forecasts
Policymakers felt that the risks of a trade war and a disruptive Brexit had diminished
Economists now believe the GDP is growing around 2% in the current quarter
The number of available positions rose 3.3%
Economists expect the Federal Reserve to remain in a holding pattern for now