r/stocks Mar 27, 04:01 PM
Markets now see the Fed’s next move as a potential rate hike as inflation fears mount https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/27/markets-see-the-feds-next-move-as-a-potential-hike-as-oil-prices-inflation-fears-rise.html
Surging energy prices, rising import costs and mounting stagflation concerns are pushing markets to consider that the Federal Reserve’s next move could be a rate hike. Traders in the futures market pushed the probability of a rate increase by the end of 2026 to 52% on Friday morning, the first time it has crossed the 50% threshold, according to the CME Group FedWatch tool. The move comes as global benchmark crude prices topped $110, adding to a series of developments this week signaling that inflation pressures may be building as the Iran war drags on and U.S. tariffs raise costs.
Adding to the inflation concerns, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that import prices jumped 1.3% in February, the largest monthly increase since March 2022, while export prices rose 1.5%, the biggest gain since May 2022. At the same time, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development sharply raised its forecast for U.S. inflation this year. The global forecasting agency estimates headline prices to rise at a 4.2% rate, far above its prior forecast and well above Fed expectations for 2.7%.
The concerns about inflation come at the same time as Wall Street economists have boosted probabilities for a recession in the next 12 months. Moody’s Analytics sees the chances for a downturn near 50%, Goldman Sachs raised its forecast this week to 30%, and firms such as EY Parthenon and Wilmington Trust are putting odds at 40% or greater.
submitted by /u/WickedSensitiveCrew
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