Some Federal Reserve officials remain cautious about cutting interest rates early next year.

According to the minutes released on December 31, during this month's meeting, some Federal Reserve officials expressed reluctance to support further policy easing in the near term when the decision to cut interest rates was made, indicating that a rate cut at the January meeting may face resistance. The minutes noted that the longer-than-expected duration of rising prices has made the decision to cut rates more difficult. Economic data released after the December meeting showed that strong consumer spending drove economic growth, despite a slight increase in the unemployment rate. New data to be released next month may influence Federal Reserve officials' views ahead of the late January interest rate meeting.