Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in the coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign that Washington is assembling the infrastructure to directly enter a conflict with Tehran.

Meantime, there are a lot of unknowns about the outlook for the economy and interest rates, but Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled at least one thing seems certain: Higher prices are coming. Policymakers voted unanimously to hold interest rates steady for a fourth straight meeting Wednesday as they await clarity on whether tariffs will leave a one-time or more lasting mark on inflation. Powell said it’s still unclear how much of the bill will fall on the shoulders of consumers, but he expects to learn more about tariffs this summer. For more, we speak to Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg MLIV Strategist in Singapore.

Plus - for more on the Federal Reserve's latest decision, we heard from Betsey Stevenson. She is a Professor at the University of Michigan. Stevenson was also a former Chief Economist of the United States Department of Labor.

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