The latest round of tariff threats from President Trump could spark fresh concerns about inflation, which might force the Federal Reserve to maintain its wait-and-see posture on interest-rate cuts, sa

The right to freedom of speech allows Trump to make demands of the Fed to his heart's content. But legally, he cannot compel the central bank to lower its benchmark interest rate. The Fed has the right to act independently, and its aim is to promote a healthy and stable economy by keeping inflation in check.

Richard Clarida, former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman and current global economic advisor at PIMCO, joins CNBC's "Closing Bell" to discuss when the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates, economic outlook and more.

Federal Reserve Governor Chris Waller said on Thursday said he favors cutting the Fed's policy rate in July. He also discussed the Fed's balance sheet and why it should continue to pay interest on bank reserves.

Trump hopes to get lower rates by replacing Fed Chair Jerome Powell with someone who would do what the president wants. But Powell’s term as chair does not end until May 2026. He’s insisted he won’t resign early.

The U.S. economy added 147,000 jobs in June, beating analyst expectations, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Most Wall Street brokerages reaffirmed their rate cut forecasts after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept its policy rate unchanged last month. The U.S. central bank held interest rates steady as expected and maintained its projection for two cuts this year,

That’s because there’s no consistent pattern to how the stock market reacts to Fed rate cuts. Sometimes the market will rally in the wake of a cut and sometimes not. Its response is no different than the stock market’s long-term average.