@StickyRice:
Federal Reserve poised for 25-bp rate hike; expect tough talk from Powell Traders widely expect the Federal Reserve to slow its pace of rate hikes to 25 basis points on Wednesday, from its 50-bp increase in December following four back-to-back 75-bp hikes, as it assesses the impact of the tightening already in place. With that, investors will be be attuned to signals for when the policymakers expect to end their tightening. Chairman Jerome Powell, though, is likely to push back against market expectations for rate cuts later this year, say some strategists and investors. The CME FedWatch tool, based on 30-day fed funds futures pricing data, puts a 98.2% probability of a 25-bp increase, bringing the federal funds rate target range to 4.50%-4.75%. The Fed's rapid tightening, which started in