The Fed's Open Market Committee said that the ongoing public health crisis would continue to weigh on economic activity, employment, and inflation.
The "real" economy won't benefit much from a rate reduction, but the Federal Open Market Committee may have other things on its mind.
Even as key corporate financial indicators continue to fall, some hope may be emerging that forecasts of an impending recession will prove inaccurate.
Tight spreads and growing liquidity risks promise to present financial firms with steep challenges in the coming months.
July's robust increase in wages, the best since 2009, could prompt the Fed to raise rates more sharply in the closing months of 2018.
Rising rates haven't helped Goldman's small banking unit, which likely will remain small yet subjects the firm to regulatory restrictions on its activities.
The effects are being felt already, but whether that's a short-term reaction or a harbinger of much more to come is unknown.
The FOMC wants to be prepared in case it needs to reverse course and make monetary policy more accommodative, Chair Janet Yellen told Congress.
