THE U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN JEROME POWELL'S PRESS CONFERENCE

Interest Rate Cut: The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 0.25% to 4.50%, as expected.

Inflation Progress: Powell expects core inflation to drop to 2.5% next year, showing significant improvement.

Tariff Impacts: It's too early to judge the effect of tariffs on the economy, but the Fed is studying how they might influence inflation.

November Inflation: Inflation levels are stabilizing after earlier increases.

Economic Strength: A slower pace of rate cuts is due to stronger economic growth and lower unemployment.