At the start of 2026, the basic market script still allowed for some Federal Reserve easing: the Fed’s January minutes said market-based expectations implied one to two quarter-point cuts this year. Then the war involving Iran detonated that narrative. AP reported that Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel for the first time since the summer of 2022, while by April 2 U.S. crude had climbed to $111.54 and briefly neared $114. The shock reached American drivers almost immediately: AAA said the national average price for regular gasoline moved above $4 a gallon for the first time since August 2022, reaching $4.08 on April 2 and $4.104 on April 4. (federalreserve.gov)
That matters because the Fed is now trapped in a deeply uncomfortable policy geometry. On March 18, 2026, it left the federal funds target range unchanged at 3.5% to 3.75% and explicitly warned that the implications of developments in the Middle East were uncertain. Powell said higher energy prices would push up inflation in the near term, even if the ultimate effects on growth and employment were still unclear. Yet the Fed’s own median projection continued to point to an end-2026 policy rate of 3.4%, essentially preserving a one-cut scenario, while median 2026 PCE inflation and core PCE inflation were both projected at 2.7%, with unemployment at 4.4%. (federalreserve.gov)
This is the classic cruelty of an energy shock: it behaves like a tax on consumers and a provocation to inflation at the same time. January data already showed headline PCE inflation at 2.8% and core PCE at 3.1% before the war’s full energy effects had worked their way through the economy. AP has reported that many economists now think any Fed cut may be delayed until September or later. Even so, the EIA still forecasts that if disruptions ease, Brent could fall below $80 in the third quarter after staying above $95 in the near term. In other words, the Fed’s rate-cut scenario is not dead, but it has become painfully contingent on geopolitics rather than purely on domestic disinflation. (bea.gov)










