Traders Load Up on Hedges for Shallower Fed Rate-Hike Cycle
Traders are shielding themselves from the possibility that the Federal Reserve raises interest rates less than markets are currently pricing in. Interest-rate swaps now reflect expectations for three quarter-point rate rises by next June, a view that solidified after central bank policymakers voted last week to raise their lending benchmark by a quarter point and signaled more increases will be needed to keep inflation at bay. Phoebe White, Rates Strategist at UBS, discusses the path of rates a…