Some Federal Reserve officials are cautious about further interest rate cuts early next year.

According to minutes released Tuesday, some Federal Reserve officials expressed reluctance to support further monetary easing in the near term when the Fed decided to cut interest rates at its meeting this month, suggesting that further rate cuts may face resistance at its next meeting in January. The minutes indicated that the decision to cut rates became increasingly difficult as inflation persisted longer than the Fed had anticipated. Since the December meeting, more economic data has been released, showing that strong consumer spending has helped drive robust economic growth, despite a slight increase in the unemployment rate. New data scheduled for release next month may reshape the thinking of Fed officials ahead of their interest rate meeting in late January. (Jinshi)