The Federal Reserve (Fed), led by Chairman Jerome Powell, along with the members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), will announce this Wednesday what interest rates will be at the end of this year.

The policymakers' final meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, October 10 December, when it will be known whether there will be another interest rate cut, an increase, or if rates will remain the same. Expectations are high for the end of this last quarter of the year due to the most important indicators for decision-making, such as the labor market and inflation, which have shown great instability in recent months. In this sense, the question arises: What can be expected at this meeting? Currently, interest rates are in the range of 3.75% to 4%. However, the November hiring data and the suspension of the October data due to the government shutdown could put the Fed in a difficult position. For Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree, "another Fed rate cut to close out a disturbingly uncertain year is good news for borrowers. The savings accumulated thanks to the Fed's measures are starting to generate considerable income," he commented. On the other hand, inflation has remained persistently high due to a boost from tariffs. Merchants and companies that rely heavily on imports have been forced to raise prices, reflecting the additional costs of the levies on consumers' bills. In this regard, Stephen Kates, financial analyst at Bankrate, indicated that “the absence of recent inflation data leaves the Federal Reserve operating with limited visibility, while alternative labor indicators and political pressure are pushing the committee toward a certain stance.” “a more accommodating policy,” he said. In previous speeches, Powell has revealed some disagreements within the institution regarding these decisions. Michael Pearce, chief US economist at Oxford Economics, noted in this regard that “it's hard to recall a time when the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has been as divided on the need for further rate cuts as it will be at the upcoming December meeting.” For the economist,this past quarter has been crucial and it will be “a close decision, but overall we expect the committee to vote in favor of lowering rates by a quarter of a percentage point.”