U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee at the U.S. Federal Reserve in Washington, Dec. 10, 2025.The Federal Reserve heads into 2026 facing a slew of political and policy challenges, headlined by a new chair and an economy fed by both tailwinds and headwinds that will make policymakers' choices all the more important.Coming off three consecutive interest rate cuts, the central bank is expected to follow a more tepid p ...