The Fed wants to cool spending; a strike, a shutdown and student loans may add ice

The U.S. Federal Reserve officials are facing new risks to their goal of squelching inflation without a recession. The officials will meet this week with an autoworkers strike, a possible federal government shutdown, and the resumption of student loan repayments posing challenges to their best-case outcome. Prolonged disruptions in the auto industry and federal agencies could harm consumer spending, increase car prices, and damage business and consumer confidence.