New Delhi, Feb. 13 -- The White House wants lower rates. The Federal Reserve just got a week's worth of reasons not to deliver them at its March meeting.

President Donald Trump has consistently called for the Fed to cut rates, even though inflation has remained above the central bank's 2% target level. Kevin Warsh, Trump's nominee to replace Jerome Powell as Fed Chair in May, has also called for lower interest rates.

But January payrolls rose 130,000, wage growth firmed and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.3%. Inflation is still running close to 3%. And in speech after speech, voting Fed officials made clear they are in no rush to ease further. Taken together, the message is clear that the bar for another rate cut has moved higher...