The final battle of 2025: The Federal Reserve will release its interest rate decision and summary of economic projections at 3:00 AM on Thursday.

The Federal Reserve will release its interest rate decision and summary of economic projections at 3:00 AM on Thursday. Following consecutive rate cuts in September and October, the market widely expects the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to cut rates again by 25 basis points, lowering the target range for the federal funds rate to 3.50%-3.75%. However, this may be the most uncertain meeting in recent years. Due to the lack of key economic data caused by the government shutdown, coupled with rare internal divisions within the policymaking body, this meeting presents a complex picture: on the one hand, the market is betting that a rate cut is almost a certainty; on the other hand, Fed Chairman Powell may have to adopt a "hawkish rate cut" strategy, that is, releasing more cautious signals about future policy while cutting rates.