[Moonman62]

The Fed will raise interest rates until they break something. But since 5 is a nice round number and they are so scientific, they probably will pause.

[dhs12345]

Hope they keep an eye on oil prices while they are raising the interest rate.

[HELLRAISER II]

I have 2 words for them, F***ing idiots! How is this suppose to help anything.

[Sabatier]

So here's a question for the armchair economists among us: "The Fed's rate hikes have raised the borrowing costs for millions of Americans on everything from adjustable rate home mortgages to auto loans." So the government determines this crucial aspect of the marketplace. In what sense is that free market capitolism at work?

[spikeytx86]

Wit the exception of food and energy prices have been practically stagnant. Why don't they f**king stop tinkering with the rate until you know prices actually start to go up!

[palmer]

Rates matter to borrowers but the real problem is the excessive increases in the money supply. Except for a brief interval in 1979-1980 and the 1988 housing bubble, the reserve requirements have been gutted from 34% in 1975 to about 5.5% today (http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h3/hist/h3hist5.txt) The world is drowning in money funneled into real estate and other assets. Gold broke $700 today.

[VeniVidiVici]

Bernanke, who succeeded the legendary Alan Greenspan as Fed chairman on Feb. 1, said a pause would give the central bank time to assess the impact that its long string of rate increases was having on the economy.

Well, that statement gives me warm fuzzies. "We're not sure what impact the rate hikes are having so we'll stop for awhile and see.".

[lilylangtree]

Guess that inflation rate announced by US Treasury in April in connection with the I bonds is greater than the 1% that Treasury adjusted for.

[economist-student]

If I were a member of the FOMC, I would raise interest rates up to 20-25%. I think saving the US dollar is more important than "employment".