[Some Federal Reserve Officials Hold a Cautious Attitude Toward Rate Cuts Early Next Year]
According to the meeting minutes released on December 31, during this month's Federal Reserve meeting where the decision to cut interest rates was made, some officials expressed reluctance to support further easing of policies in the near term, indicating that rate cuts at the January meeting next year may face resistance. The minutes noted that the longer-than-expected duration of price increases has made the decision to cut rates more challenging. Economic data released after the December meeting showed that strong consumer spending has driven economic growth, despite a slight rise in the unemployment rate. New data to be released next month may influence Federal Reserve officials' views ahead of the late-January rate-setting meeting.