Traders now expect Fed could start cutting rates as soon as March

Not only are traders seeing a higher likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates up to five times in 2024, they now expect the first cut could arrive as soon as March, almost exactly two years after the Fed started its most aggressive rate-hiking cycle since the 1980s. According to CME Group’s FedWatch tool, perceived chances of a rate cut from the Fed arriving in March have risen to nearly 27%, up from 10.5% a day earlier.