Fed officials jolt market with talk of pending rate hike

California

A HANDFUL of Federal Reserve policymakers on Tuesday jolted markets into higher expectations for a March US interest rate increase, with comments that suggested rate-setters are worried about waiting too long in the face of pending economic stimulus from Washington.

New York Fed president William Dudley, among the most influential US central bankers, said on CNN that the case for tightening monetary policy "has become a lot more compelling" since the election of President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress.