The Federal Reserve appears on track to slow its bond purchases by the end of this year if the economy continues to improve. But it remains divided over the exact timing of the move. That’s the message from the minutes of the Fed’s July 30-31 meeting released Wednesday. A few policymakers said they wanted to assess more economic data before deciding when to scale back the central bank’s $85 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bond purchases. Others said it “might soon be time” to slow the purchases, which have helped keep long-term rates near record lows. Since the July meeting, a ... (full story)