Fed Triggers Third Interest Rate Cut of 2019
The Federal Reserve has announced its third interest rate reduction since July, this time excluding language committing the central bank to action in support of economic expansion.

Chairman Jerome Powell announced the Federal Reserve’s third quarter-point interest rate reduction of the year in a press conference Wednesday.
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve announced a quarter-point interest rate reduction yesterday, its third such move this year. The target federal funds rate now stand at 1.5% after starting the year at 2.25%.
The year’s first cut, on July 31, was the first since 2008. It was followed by another on Sept. 13, when many market watchers expressed assurance no further reductions could be expected in 2019. This time, the announcement notably excluded language stating the Fed would “act as appropriate to sustain the [economic] expansion.”
Instead, “The Committee will continue to monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook as it assesses the appropriate path of the target range for the federal funds rate,” the statement released yesterday reads, in part.
“People are VERY disappointed in Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve. The Fed has called it wrong from the beginning, too fast, too slow.”
President Donald Trump has pressured the Federal Reserve and his appointed chairman, Jerome Powell, to drop the target rate to zero or lower.
“People are VERY disappointed in Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve. The Fed has called it wrong from the beginning, too fast, too slow,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “… We are now, by far, the biggest and strongest country, but the Fed puts us at a competitive disadvantage. China is not our problem, the Federal Reserve is! We will win anyway.”
More Auto Finance

July Was Hot for Auto Borrowers
Credit proved readily available for many, but most loans left buyers in negative territory, Cox Automotive said.
Read More →
Dealer Lender Preferences Revealed
When lenders provide consistent, fast service, their overall satisfaction scores with dealers greatly improve, according to JD Power research.
Read More →
Auto Refi Savings Surge
Consumers with 84-month auto loan terms who refinanced saved the most on monthly payments, according to a new report by auto refinancing provider Caribou.
Read More →
Subaru Enters Lending Business
The automaker follows other brands in adding captive financing in the U.S., and says the move will strengthen its position here.
Read More →
Positive Equity Reaches Record High
Mainstream vehicle owners who bought a car seven years ago are likely to have positive equity when trading in for a new vehicle, according to second-quarter Edmunds data.
Read More →
Dealerships Are Paying the Price for Extended Car Loans
Growing negative-equity scenarios mean such lengthy terms should be addressed in a forward-looking way to make them work for the dealer and the consumer down the road.
Read More →
Trade-Ins in Negative Equity Reach New Heights
As such trade-ins rise in frequency, so do monthly loan payment amounts and interest rates, according to second-quarter data compiled by Edmunds.
Read More →
Auto Credit Plentiful
June numbers show lenders are readily granting access, including to risky borrowers, as consumers leverage themselves to take on high prices.
Read More →
Automotive Consumers Sink Further in Debt
Most financing metrics hit records in the second quarter as more buyers locked themselves into long terms and high monthly payments.
Read More →
Porsche Financial Services Shifts Structure
After 36 years with Porsche, the Financial Services Chief Financial Officer Konrad Riedl is retiring, and the department is realigning its management structure.
Read More →