U.S. Fed signals rate hike as early as March amid rising inflation

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it intends to start raising its near-zero interest rate "soon," paving the way for a rate hike as early as March to tamp down rising inflation that could weigh on the U.S. economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.After a two-day meeting of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee, the bank maintained its target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 0.25 percent and decided to continue the tapering of its asset-purchase program, as widely expected.The Fed reaffirmed that the purchases of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities -- a progr…READ FULL ARTICLE