Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said favorable inflation data, and not worries about the labor market, are what convinced him to support policymakers’ decision to lower interest rates by a half percentage point this week.

Here’s how inflation and the cost of borrowing have changed since the Fed started raising interest rates in March 2022. After peaking at 9.1% in June 2022, inflation has eased, falling to a three-year low of 2.5% in August, just above the Fed’s 2% target rate.

The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than four years, reflects its new focus on bolstering the job market, which has shown clear signs of slowing. Coming just weeks before the presidential election, the Fed’s move also has the potential to scramble the economic landscape just as Americans prepare to vote.