Win McNamee / Getty ImagesIt would all seem to spell an economic downturn.
Yet, as the Federal Reserve gets ready to make its latest announcement Wednesday afternoon about whether it will raise its key federal funds rate for the 10th consecutive time, finance commentators continue to disagree about how it should respond to economic conditions., Wall Street traders are betting that the Fed will announce another 0.25% rate hike Wednesday — but that it will be forced to cut rates at least twice before the end of the year as economic growth slows to a crawl.
"Provided the economic data slows only gently and inflation remains elevated, and the banking sector volatility is fairly contained, we think a June hike is still possible," Shah wrote."Indeed, we believe there is a higher risk of a rate hike in June than what the market is currently pricing in." The Citi analysts cite recent price-level data that has continued to come in higher than expected. The graphic below from the Atlanta Federal Reserve illustrates this: