The post Fed Decides On Interest Rates Today—Here’s What To Watch For appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Topline The Federal Reserve on Wednesday will conclude a two-day policymaking meeting and release a decision on whether to lower interest rates—following months of pressure and criticism from President Donald Trump—and potentially signal whether additional cuts are on the way. President Donald Trump has urged the central bank to “CUT INTEREST RATES, NOW, AND BIGGER” than they might plan to. Getty Images Key Facts The central bank is poised to cut interest rates by at least a quarter-point, down from the 4.25% to 4.5% range where they have been held since December to between 4% and 4.25%, as Wall Street has placed 100% odds of a rate cut, according to CME’s FedWatch, with higher odds (94%) on a quarter-point cut than a half-point (6%) reduction. Fed governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, both Trump appointees, voted in July for a quarter-point reduction to rates, and they may dissent again in favor of a large cut alongside Stephen Miran, Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers’ chair, who was sworn in at the meeting’s start on Tuesday. It’s unclear whether other policymakers, including Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid and St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem, will favor larger cuts or opt for no reduction. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in his Jackson Hole, Wyoming, address last month the central bank would likely consider a looser monetary policy, noting the “shifting balance of risks” on the U.S. economy “may warrant adjusting our policy stance.” David Mericle, an economist for Goldman Sachs, wrote in a note the “key question” for the Fed’s meeting is whether policymakers signal “this is likely the first in a series of consecutive cuts” as the central bank is anticipated to “acknowledge the softening in the labor market,” though they may not “nod to an October cut.” Mericle said he…

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The post Music body ICMP laments “wilful” theft of artists’ work appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. A major music industry group, ICMP, has lamented the use of artists’ work by AI companies, calling them guilty of “wilful” copyright infringement, as the battle between the tech firms and the arts industry continues. The Brussels-based group known as the International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP) comprises major record labels and other music industry professionals. Their voice adds to many others within the arts industry that have expressed displeasure at AI firms for using their creative work to train their systems without permission. ICMP accuses AI firms of deliberate copyright infringement ICMP director general John Phelan told AFP that big tech firms and AI-specific companies were involved in what he termed “the largest copyright infringement exercise that has been seen.” He cited the likes of OpenAI, Suno, Udio, and Mistral as some of the culprits. The ICMP carried out an investigation for nearly two years to ascertain how generative AI firms were using material by creatives to enrich themselves. The Brussels-based group is one of a number of industry bodies that span across news media and publishing to target the fast-growing AI sector over its use of content without paying any royalties. Suno and Udio, who are AI music generators, can produce tracks with voices, melodies, and musical styles that echo those of the original artists such as the Beatles, Depeche Mode, Mariah Carey, and the Beach boys. “What is legal or illegal is how the technologies are used. That means the corporate decisions made by the chief executives of companies matter immensely and should comply with the law,” Phelan told AFP. “What we see is they are engaged in wilful, commercial-scale copyright infringement.” Phelan. In June last year, a US trade group, the Recording Industry Association of America, filed a lawsuit against Suno and Udio. However, an exception…