Some Federal Reserve officials are cautious about further interest rate cuts early next year.

According to minutes released Tuesday, when the Federal Reserve decided to cut interest rates at its meeting this month, some officials expressed reluctance to support further policy easing in the near term, suggesting that further rate cuts may face resistance at its next meeting in January. The minutes showed that the decision to cut rates became increasingly difficult as price increases persisted longer than the Fed had anticipated. Since the December meeting, more economic data has been released, showing that strong consumer spending has helped drive robust economic growth, despite a slight rise in the unemployment rate. New data scheduled for release next month may reshape the thinking of Fed officials ahead of their rate-setting meeting in late January. (Jinshi)