Fed policymakers speak on policy outlook

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell refrained from hinting at the timing of the rate reduction in the post-meeting press conference. "We need further confidence, more good inflation readings but won't be specific about how many to start rate cuts," Powell explained.

Following the Fed event and May inflation data, the probability of the Fed leaving the policy rate unchanged in September declined toward 30% from 50%, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. 

With the Fed's blackout period coming to an end after the June meeting, investors will pay close attention to comments from policymakers in the near term. 

Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said that she would like to see a "longer run of good-looking inflation data," and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari stated over the weekend that it would be a “reasonable prediction” that the Fed will wait until December to cut interest rates, adding that the central bank is in a very good position to get more data before making any decisions. Meanwhile, President of the Philadelphia Fed, Patrick Harker, leaned into a cautious stance on Monday, noting that the Fed may need to keep rates where they are for longer than markets currently hope