The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged today. But perhaps standing pat with the target Fed funds rate at a mildly positive 0.25%-0.50% range should be viewed as a minor victory in the global context of monetary policy these days. Holding rates steady at just slightly above zero may seem like the poster child for dovish policy in the grand scheme of central banking history. But there’s a hawkish aura to Fed policy relative to the negative rates that are creeping into the global economy in other corners.
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