STOCKS | Wall Street Expects Fed to Signal Hawkish Move This Week

U.S. stocks have posted strong gains this year, driven by large-scale investment in AI infrastructure. According to Sina Finance, the S&P 500 is up 12% year to date, the Nasdaq Composite has risen 13%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 9%. Wall Street expects the Federal Reserve to raise rates this week, which could begin a new tightening cycle. According to Sina Finance, the CME FedWatch Tool shows the most likely outcome for the FOMC meeting ending September 16 is a 25-basis-point rate hike, with an 87% probability that the federal funds target range will move from 3.5%-3.75% to 3.75%-4%.