Reuters survey: The Federal Reserve's interest rate hike expectations for December remain solid, but there is still controversy over the end of the tightening cycle

A Reuters survey shows that about 55% of the economists surveyed, or 56 out of 101, expect that the interest rate hike in December will mark the end of the current tightening cycle, a figure that is basically unchanged from last month.

However, 45 economists still expect that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at least two more times, including more than half of the surveyed primary dealers, which is consistent with the expectations reflected in market pricing, and believe that the risks to the inflation outlook have not changed since the U.S. midterm elections. Changes in the political landscape are unlikely to quickly alleviate inflationary pressures.

Despite market hopes that the nearly 9-month-long Middle East conflict could be resolved, leading to a drop of over 22% in crude oil futures prices from the late October peak, inflationary pressures still persist. A strong labor market, resilient economic growth, and inflation remaining above the Federal Reserve's 2% target for nearly six years all indicate that further tightening of monetary policy is still necessary.

Wells Fargo Chief Economist Tom Porcelli stated, "The Federal Reserve's decision-making depends on the upcoming inflation data, which will prompt it to raise rates again. In fact, the Federal Reserve has every reason to raise rates at the October meeting."