I think the Fed opened the door for a half-percentage-point increase in August, if it's needed,
Quotes about half-percentage-point (5 Quotes)
Given the strong fervor for doing something quickly to help the economy, given that Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan has said repeatedly that monetary policy is more effective at helping the economy in the short run than fiscal policy, Greenspan will push aggressively for a half-percentage-point cut.
There's the thought that even if the Fed comes in with a half-percentage-point hike, the market is already trading with that built in.
Expectations for a half-percentage-point cut might fade a little bit. There's some firmness to these numbers, so it's not as dire as people had begun to think after last week's beige book.
Everybody knows the Fed is going to lower rates. You'll start hearing people talk about more than a 50-basis-point (a half-percentage-point) rate cut -- that wouldn't shock me.