| Dollar rises as Fed policy makers say a March hike is on the table |
| With employment and inflation data improving, a rate hike is “very much on the table for serious consideration” at the Federal Reserve’s March policy meeting, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams said on Tuesday. The Fed raised its benchmark short-term interest rate by a quarter percent in December, but has paused its plan to gradually raise rates, waiting to see how President Trump’s economic policies would impact the economy. With an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent, roughly full employment in the eyes of economists, and inflation near the Fed’s 2 percent target, more Fed officials are open to a hike in the near future. New York Fed President William Dudley also said upbeat data was making the case for tightening monetary policy “more compelling.” The comments helped push the dollar and U.S. Treasury yields higher on Wednesday, and U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open, with possible fresh highs for the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq-100 indexes.
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