The Fed Double Bind: The Triangular Pressure of Inflation, Growth, and Independence on the Rate Path [EN]
"Stagflation was a term used in the 1970s when unemployment was in the double digits and inflation was extremely high. We are not in that situation right now." — Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve (March 18, 2026, FOMC Press Conference) Prologue: The Market Observer's Perspective On the afternoon of March 18, 2026, Jerome Powell stood at the podium and directly refuted stagflation concerns. However, the seat he was sitting in was hotter than ever. Behind him, tariff inflation steadily pushes up consumer goods prices; to his left, the Iran war has driven oil prices up 36%, flashing warnings of reignited inflation. To his right, February nonfarm payrolls recorded an unexpected drop of 92,000, sounding alarm bells of cracks in the labor market. And straight ahead, a Justice Department investigation—which Powell himself called an "excuse for a criminal probe"—is underway. His term ends in May. What this observer focuses on is not the interest rate de...