Federal Reserve set to raise rates by another 0.75%

Market Trading EssentialsJuly 27, 2022

1 minute read

The Federal Reserve is expected to again raise interest rates this afternoon as it continues actions to tame multi-decade highs in inflation.

The central bank will likely ratchet short-term borrowing costs up another 0.75% at the conclusion of its meeting Wednesday.

Doing so would lift the federal funds rate to a target range between 2.25% and 2.5%, matching highs from its most recent rate hiking cycle, which ended in mid-2019.

By making it more expensive to borrow, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and his colleagues at the central bank hope to dampen the economic activity that has, in part, led price increases.

Inflation remains at levels unseen since the early 1980s, with prices rising 9.1% in June.

The question investors will be asking on Wednesday is: How much further will interest rates have to rise to cool inflation back to the Fed’s 2% target? And: can the Fed raise interest rates without tightening economic activity so much that it triggers its own recession?

The Fed will release its policy statement at 2 p.m. ET followed by Powell’s press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET.