McLean, Va. (April 29, 2026) — In what is likely Jerome Powell’s last meeting as chair of the Federal Reserve, the committee opted to leave the benchmark interest rates steady at a target range of 3.5% to 3.75% at their first meeting of 2026. While the job market has been an area of focus for the Federal Reserve since the last meeting, Chair Powell also pointed to strong economic growth driven by a resilient consumer and sustained business investment.
“Despite rising levels of economic risk, the sources of economic risk are largely concentrated on the supply-side of the economy,” said Christopher Chidzik, principal economist of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. “We have seen over the last several years that supply shocks have generally resulted in increased demand for manufacturing technology. As the war in Iran stretches longer and supply issues become more acute, greater demand for manufacturing technology could come from a reassessment of procurement and production.”
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