The Federal Reserve maintains interest rates unchanged for the third consecutive time, with the FOMC rarely splitting the vote 8:4.

BlockBeats News. On April 30, the Federal Reserve kept the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75%, holding steady for the third consecutive meeting, in line with market expectations. However, the FOMC voting results this time showed a clear split, with the resolution passed by an 8:4 vote.

Among them, Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran cast a dissenting vote, arguing for an immediate 25 basis point rate cut; Harker, Kashkari, and Logan opposed adding any more dovish-leaning content to the statement.

The statement noted that the U.S. economy is still expanding at a “steady pace,” but employment growth remains overall weak, and inflation remains elevated, driven in part by rising global energy prices. The Federal Reserve also emphasized that the situation in the Middle East is intensifying uncertainty about the economic outlook.

Notably, the Federal Reserve retained the related wording about “the magnitude and timing of further adjustments to the interest rate,” and did not completely remove the “further adjustments” phrasing, indicating that differences within the committee over the future policy path are clearly widening.

The market believes that this rare 8:4 split vote highlights that the Federal Reserve has already formed a standoff between the “rate-cut camp” and the “anti-inflation hawks,” and that uncertainty about future policy will further heat up.