[FOMC Expectations Summary: Rate Cuts May Have to Wait Until October, Further Cuts Face High Thresholds] BlockBeats News, March 18 – The market widely believes that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is almost certain not to cut rates at its policy meeting at 2 a.m. tomorrow, nor will there be any rate cuts in the near term. Futures pricing indicates that policymakers are unlikely to consider easing policies until at least September, with October being more likely. Even then, there is only expected to be one rate cut this year. CNBC has summarized the mainstream expectations for this FOMC meeting as follows: A senior investment strategist at Russell Investments stated: "The March meeting will almost certainly keep rates unchanged. However, any clues that Chair Powell might reveal about the future direction of rates will be critical. Overall, the U.S. economy remains robust. But this also means that the threshold for further rate cuts in the U.S. could be quite high." The Federal Reserve watchers at Bank of America noted in a report: "Since the market has almost entirely ruled out the possibility of a rate cut in April, Powell's ability to guide the market depends on the extent to which his remarks are perceived as representing the consensus of the committee rather than his personal views. Even setting aside this constraint, Powell's task remains challenging." Former Federal Reserve Vice Chair Roger Ferguson told CNBC that he expects the committee's post-meeting statement to describe inflation, unemployment, economic growth, and the expected policy path with "caution."