Volatility heightens focus on Fed statement

BE PREPARED: US securities regulators have unveiled a road map that lays out how they plan to make sure Wall Street firms are prepared to detect and prevent cybersecurity attacks. — Reuters

IT’s that time again – when Wall Street traders turn into linguists, closely parsing the text of a Federal Reserve statement for minor word changes that could offer clues about the central bank’s future monetary policies.

Few people expect the central bank to raise its key policy rate above its current target of 2% to 2.25% when the Fed concludes its two-day meeting Thursday. There is also no press conference after the meeting, limiting officials’ ability to communicate their outlook.