Via Reuters Poll taken February 7-15
- 64 of 84 are looking for a 25bp hike
- 20 analysts forecast a 50-basis-point move to 0.50-0.75%
Adds the piece:
- Rates were forecast to rise each quarter this year to reach 1.25-1.50% by end-December, roughly where they were at the start of the pandemic two years ago. One-quarter of respondents, 21 of 84, saw rates even higher by end-2022.
- “The risk is that at some point ... they’ll shift to hiking 50 basis points, because it’s very unusual for a central bank to have a zero interest rate in the face of the kind of news we’re looking at right now,” said Ethan Harris, head of global economics research at Bank of America Securities, referring to inflation.