● FED HOLDS RATES, TWO MEMBERS WANTED A HIKE

The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark rate at 3.75%-4.00% on Wednesday, holding the range it set after September's quarter-point increase. The vote split 10-2, with governors Lisa Cook and Beth Hammack dissenting in favor of raising rates another quarter point instead of pausing. The Committee's statement called the economy "expanding at a strong pace," with resilient spending and robust capital investment, yet it still flagged inflation as "elevated." $DXY traders now watch whether that hawkish minority grows at the next meeting.