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Five things to watch in the Fed minutes
Will the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s Jan. 30-31 hint at a more hawkish and assertive central bank? That is the concern ahead of the minutes, which kick-off an intense two-week period for the Fed. New Chairman Jerome Powell will testify twice to Congress on Feb. 28 and March 1 about the outlook for interest rates. Fed watchers think that the minutes will give a good preview of Powell’s prepared remarks to lawmakers. Markets are obsessed with inflation, worried that the central bank may have to tighten at a faster pace given the tax cuts and additional spending approved by Congress this year. The minutes might ... (full story)