Inflation can be a valid reason for the Fed to raise the rates. This ability to control rates has enabled them to lessen or prevent damage in the past, but it always seemed to have a cause and reaction. In recent time, there has been too much talk about the Fed using it as a tool to control the economy - i.e. rates are low when growth is slow or they use it to cool down the economy when they feel like it is too exuberant.
This type of thought was not really in the charter of the Federal Reserve, but then again, neither was 16 trillion in debt that is able to exist because of the Fed.
We are in uncharted waters and I don’t think everyone appreciates the power of just over a dozen bankers to add or subtract a point here or there. Consider how much money you could make if you knew there would be a .5 or 1% GDP difference ahead of time when you apply that to a 20 trillion dollar economy! It is the ultimate insiders game and it is only in the hands of a very few who each have their own friends and political interest.
We should all be suspicious of such a game. This is especially true considering most of the Fed rotate in and out between the Fed, public service, and the too big to fail banks. The potential for malfeasance is undeniable.
I would have expected if Trump continued his economic success that rates would go up (that is all they can do they have been so low), but this “pre-emptive” rate hike appears to be a little early in the game and it will have a cooling effect on the economy going into 2020 as it will be more expensive to borrow money. I don’t underestimate the Trumpster though - he has overcome everything they put in his path, but rate hikes are potentially the biggest obstacle to the kind of numbers he is hoping to achieve.
Remember Schumer “warning” trump that the spy agencies have “six ways from Sunday” to get revenge? The Fed has powerful weapons too.