This week, the markets’ reputation for anticipation will be put to the test.
Will the Federal Reserve begin scaling back its easy-money stimulus? The market seems to think so. Investors have been paring back bonds susceptible to rising interest rates, and the 10-year Treasury yield has already jumped this summer from 1.6% to nearly 3%, far faster than the pace of economic improvement. Last week, a Wall Street Journal survey of 47 economists found that two out of three think the Fed will begin tapering after Wednesday’s policy powwow.