US Fed divided on when to begin balance sheet unwind

Several preferred deferring decision giving additional time to assess outlook for economic activity

A divided Federal Reserve policy committee couldn’t reach agreement in June on the timing of when to begin shrinking its massive balance sheet, according to minutes of the meeting.
 
“Several preferred to announce a start to the process within a couple of months,” the minutes of the June 13-14 meeting released on Wednesday in Washington showed. “Some others emphasised that deferring the decision until later in the year would permit additional time to assess the outlook for economic activity and inflation.”
 
US central bankers in June raised the benchmark lending rate for a second time this year to