Banking & Finance

Boston Fed’s Susan Collins Signals Rate Path Hinges on Inflation Progress

Published

2 months ago

September 4, 2026

Illustration for “Boston Fed’s Susan Collins Signals Rate Path Hinges on Inflation Progress”

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins has continued to shape the national conversation on interest-rate policy throughout 2026, with a series of public remarks tying the path of rates directly to incoming inflation data. In comments reported in late August, Collins said that whether the Federal Reserve holds rates steady continues to depend on further progress on inflation, underscoring a data-dependent posture that has characterized much of her public commentary this year.

Earlier in the year, in February remarks covered by Bloomberg, Collins indicated that interest rates were likely to remain on hold “for some time,” a view she reiterated in various forms across the following months even as inflation and labor-market data fluctuated. In May, according to reporting in the Boston Globe, Collins discussed her position within the Federal Open Market Committee, including how she has approached dissent within the committee’s deliberations, as well as changes among her fellow policymakers.

As the president of one of the twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks, Collins holds a rotating vote on the FOMC and is a closely watched voice on how the Fed weighs incoming economic data — including employment reports, inflation readings, and financial conditions — against the risk of moving too quickly or too slowly on rates. Her remarks throughout 2026 have generally emphasized patience, while leaving open the possibility that further rate moves, in either direction, would depend on how inflation data evolves in the months ahead.

For Boston-area banks, lenders, and businesses that depend on the cost of credit, the Boston Fed president’s public commentary is one of the more direct local windows into the Federal Reserve’s thinking. Collins, based in Boston, is one of the few Fed officials whose remarks carry a distinctly regional lens, often referencing conditions in New England alongside the national picture.

Massachusetts financial institutions and businesses will continue to watch Collins’ public appearances and the broader FOMC’s decisions in the coming months, as the Fed continues to weigh inflation trends against labor-market conditions in setting the path for interest rates through the remainder of 2026.

Sources:

Banking & Finance

The Deal Window Is Wide Open: Why 2026 Could Set Records for IPOs and Mergers, and Why Timing Matters Now

A Masterpass briefing: JPMorgan says dealmaking could hit an all-time record this year. What’s driving it, what could shut the window, and how founders and owners should prepare now.

Published

1 month ago

September 23, 2026

Ecosystem Intelligence Desk

Boston Made Newsroom illustration: The Deal Window Is Wide Open: Why 2026 Could Set Records for IPOs and Mergers, and Why Timing Matters Now

While headlines focus on Iran, oil and Washington, Wall Street’s deal machine is running at one of its fastest paces ever. JPMorgan’s Dorothee Blessing says 2026 could set an all-time record for mergers and IPOs, driven by a year-end rush, Bloomberg reported.

Global deal volume reached about $2.6 trillion in the first half, up roughly 30% from a year earlier. The record is $5.3 trillion, set in 2021.

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Banking & Finance

Heating Bills Are Headed Up 8.7% This Winter, and Heating Oil Up 31%, as War Keeps Energy Prices High

Energy-assistance directors project the average family will pay about $1,030 to heat their home this winter. Here is why, who gets hit hardest, and what to do now.

Published

1 month ago

September 23, 2026

Ecosystem Intelligence Desk

Boston Made Newsroom illustration: Heating Bills Are Headed Up 8.7% This Winter, and Heating Oil Up 31%, as War Keeps Energy Prices High

Americans should expect to pay more to stay warm this winter. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) projects that home heating costs will rise 8.7% across all fuel types, to an average of about $1,030 per household, according to its September 14 forecast. NEADA notes that is more than 2.5 times the rate of inflation.

Families who heat with oil will be hit much harder. NEADA projects they will pay 31.3% more, with average seasonal bills of about $2,300, Quartz reported.

Why: two wars and one oil market

The Iran war is the main driver. Fighting around the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. oil blockade of Iran and attacks on Gulf energy sites have kept crude near $100 a barrel. Heating oil is refined from crude, so it moves first and furthest.
Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, keeps pressure on global energy. Europe’s turn away from Russian gas since 2022 has tightened world natural-gas markets and pulled more U.S. gas overseas as LNG.
Everything else costs more too. With electricity, food and rent already up, higher heating bills land on budgets that are already stretched.

Average heating bill: about $1,030, up 8.7%. Heating-oil homes: about $2,300, up 31%. (NEADA)

Who gets hit hardest

New England and the rest of the Northeast rely on heating oil far more than the rest of the country, so Boston-area households, landlords and small businesses will feel this first. Older homes, renters in oil-heated buildings, seniors on fixed incomes and restaurants and shops with high heating loads are most exposed.

What to do now, before the cold

Lock in or pre-buy heating oil or propane if your dealer offers a fixed-price or budget plan. Compare at least two dealers.
Get a tune-up. A clean, serviced furnace or boiler burns less fuel.
Seal the leaks: weatherstrip doors and windows, and insulate the attic if you can. Ask your utility about free or discounted energy audits.
Apply for help early. LIHEAP, the federal home-energy assistance program, and state fuel-assistance programs open in the fall and funds can run out. In Massachusetts, apply through your local community action agency.
Call your utility before you fall behind. Payment plans and winter shutoff protections are easier to set up early.

For business owners

Budget for higher heating and energy costs in Q4 and Q1, check whether your leases pass heating costs through, and watch oil: our markets briefing tracks what the Iran talks could do to prices.

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Banking & Finance

Headline Whiplash: Nasdaq Hits Records as Iran, Oil, Rates and a Cyber Breach Keep Markets on Edge

A Masterpass markets briefing: why tech keeps climbing while the Dow and banks slip, what oil near $100 is telling you, and the catalysts that could whipsaw stocks this week.

Published

1 month ago

September 23, 2026

Ecosystem Intelligence Desk

Boston Made Newsroom illustration: Headline Whiplash: Nasdaq Hits Records as Iran, Oil, Rates and a Cyber Breach Keep Markets on Edge

Wall Street is trading the headlines. On Tuesday, September 22, the Nasdaq Composite posted its second straight record close as oil prices eased, while the Dow finished lower and bank stocks slid, according to Quartz and Yahoo Finance. The S&P 500 was roughly flat.

Under the surface, the moves have been large and fast, and they are driven by geopolitics more than earnings.

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