Six weeks after raising interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade, Federal Reserve policymakers now face a more perilous global picture that could alter their plans for further raising rates this year. Since the Fed increased rates Dec. 16 from record lows, stock markets have plunged, oil prices have skidded and China's leaders have struggled to manage a slowdown in the world's second-biggest economy. Though some analysts say the Fed erred in raising rates last month, don't expect the central bank to acknowledge so when it issues a statement after its latest policy meeting ends Wednesday afternoon. But in ... (full story)