As widely expected, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at this week's FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting, but other aspects of the meeting had notable implications for markets and investors.
First, large revisions to the policy rate path outlook confirmed that a strong majority of Fed officials no longer sees the need for restrictive monetary policy, and they now see a prolonged period of rates at or slightly under their estimate for neutral. (As recently as the December FOMC meeting, members expected interest rates to rise to around 50 basis points (bps) above