[Fed Mouthpiece: December CPI Unlikely to Change Fed's Current Wait-and-See Stance] Jin10 News, January 13 – 'Fed mouthpiece' Nick Timiraos stated that the December Consumer Price Index (CPI) is unlikely to change the Federal Reserve's current wait-and-see stance, as officials are likely to want more evidence before cutting rates to confirm that inflation is stabilizing and gradually declining. The Fed has lowered its benchmark interest rate at the past three consecutive meetings, the most recent being in December, despite inflation having stopped declining last year. Officials reduced rates out of concern for the risk of a greater-than-expected slowdown in the labor market. To resume rate cuts, Fed officials may need to see new evidence showing that labor market conditions are deteriorating or that price pressures are easing. The latter may require at least a few more months of inflation data to become apparent.