Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, July 28–29, 2026
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, July 28–29, 2026
Read the primary sourceDaily briefing · August 19, 2026
Today's Economic Brief
The latest official readings show consumer-price growth at 3.5%, unemployment at 4.1%, annualized real GDP growth at 1.5%. New releases and revisions can change that picture.
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What changed
Major Economic Indicators Latest Numbers
Consumer Price Index (CPI): +0.1% in Jul 2026 News Release Historical Data Unemployment Rate: 4.1% in Jul 2026 News Release Historical Data Payroll Employment: -23,000(p) in Jul 2026 News Release Historical Data Average Hourly...
Read the primary sourceState minimum wages and cost of living
The takeaway The federal minimum wage is the lowest hourly rate employers are required to pay workers. It’s been $7.25 per hour for a while now. State minimum wages are a different story: Many are higher than the federal minimu...
Read the primary source02
Why it matters
- Consumer-price growth is 3.5%, up 0.8 percentage points from Jun 2025.
- Unemployment rate is 4.1%, little changed from Jun 2025.
- Federal funds rate is 3.63%, down 0.7 percentage points from Aug 2025.
These comparisons describe published observations; they do not assign causes.
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