In anticipation of the U.S. Federal Reserve's expected decision to lift interest rates for the first time in almost a decade, Stratfor is publishing this chronology of archived analyses. The Dec. 16 announcement will follow a meeting of the Fed's policymaking panel, the Federal Open Market Committee. Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen is expected to make the announcement of a federal funds rate hike from Washington at 2:30 p.m. local time.
The rate hike is a reflection of the solid, sustained growth of the U.S. economy over the past few years. Following the global financial crisis of 2008, the Fed kept interest rates deliberately low, in the zero to 0.25 percent band. The decision to raise interest rates has been carefully strategized and has far-reaching implications beyond the United States. Given that the global economy runs on U.S. dollars, many countries will be affected by the Fed's decision....
