Fed’s Goolsbee says rate hike and pause both ’on the table’
Fed policymaker Austan Goolsbee said both a further rate increase and a pause remain possible. That keeps the policy path unusually dependent on incoming inflation and labor-market evidence.
File photo · The Federal Reserve’s Eccles Building, Washington · Mar 2011 · Federal Reserve · Public domain · Source & licenseAustan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, said a rate hike and a pause were both “on the table,” according to Investing.com on October 2, 2026.
The comments leave the next policy decision open rather than committing to either tighter policy or no change. No additional rate, inflation or employment figures were included with the report.
The remarks apply directly to interest-rate expectations across government bonds, currencies and interest-sensitive assets, but they do not identify a new policy decision or a scheduled change.
The balance between the two options remains uncertain from the comments alone. The next Federal Reserve decision and the data released before it should clarify which path policymakers favor.
Austan Goolsbee said the Federal Reserve could still hike rates or pause at its next decision.
The comments preserve two-way policy risk rather than establishing a tradeable directional signal, with the outcome still tied to incoming inflation and labor-market evidence. No company-specific data or dated policy catalyst is available to narrow the read.
The read is invalidated by a subsequent Fed decision or economic release that clearly resolves the policy path in one direction.
CoverageSource: Investing.com · Published here FRI, OCT 2 · 1:24 PM ET · the only report in this recordHow this is decided →
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A pause would avoid additional tightening and could support interest-sensitive assets if incoming data cools without a sharp labor-market deterioration.
A rate hike remains explicitly possible, leaving further tightening as a live risk if inflation or activity stays firm.
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