华尔街将在周三密切关注，因为预计美联储将升级战斗大幅提高利率来对抗通货膨胀。
这一举措将在一周多一点后出台高于预期的通胀报告显示，8月份价格略有上涨，加剧了美国家庭的成本困境，并导致美国经济下滑标准普尔500指数经历了2022年最糟糕的一天。
美联储已经建立了一系列激进的利率上涨最近几个月，中国试图通过放缓经济和抑制需求来抑制价格上涨。但这种方法有可能使美国陷入经济衰退，并导致数百万人失业。
美联储主席杰罗姆·鲍威尔在保守派倾向的卡托研究所举行的一次会议上发表讲话本月早些时候说中央银行必须采取“直接、有力”的行动来抑制通货膨胀。
这些评论和上周的通胀数据相结合，导致许多经济学家预计周三将再次加息0.75%。一些经济学家预测，美联储将加息1%，这是它四十年来从未加息过的。
在最近两次会议上，中央银行都增加的基准利率下调了0.75%，这是1994年以来的最高水平。
然而，加息产生了喜忧参半的结果。以年度为基础，消费价格略有下降，但仍然很高。
美国劳工统计局(Bureau of Labor Statistics)的数据显示，截至8月份，消费者价格指数(CPI)同比上涨8.3%，较7月份的8.5%略有放缓。
不过，一些价格已经大幅下跌。该局表示，8月份天然气价格下降了10.6%。
与此同时，加息似乎已经放缓了经济的关键领域，例如，推高抵押贷款利率和减缓新屋建设。
尽管如此，其他指标显示美国经济仍在继续增长。
美国的招聘从高速下降，但是8月份保持强劲美国劳工统计局(Bureau of Labor Statistics月初公布的数据显示，随着更多人寻找工作，美国经济增加了31.5万个就业岗位，失业率升至3.7%。
周二收盘时，在预期的加息之前，各主要股指均下跌了约1%。道琼斯工业平均指数暴跌近300点。
Fed expected to raise interest rates, escalate fight against inflation
Wall Street will watch closely on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve is expected toescalate its fightagainst inflation with a dramatic interest rate hike.
The move would come a little more than a week after ahigher-than-expectedinflation report revealed that prices rose slightly in August, worsening the cost woes for U.S. households and sending the S&P 500 tumbling for its worst day of 2022.
The Fed has instituteda series of aggressive interest rate hikesin recent months as it tries to slash price increases by slowing the economy and choking off demand. But the approach risks tipping the U.S. into an economic downturn and putting millions out of work.
Speaking at a conference held by the conservative-leaning Cato Institute, Fed Chair Jerome Powellsaid earlier this monththat the central bank must act "forthrightly, strongly" to dial back inflation.
The combination of those comments and the inflation data last week has led many economists to expect another 0.75% interest rate hike on Wednesday. Some economists have predicted that the Fed will raise rates by 1%, which it has not done in four decades.
At each of its last two meetings, the central bank hasincreasedits benchmark interest rate by 0.75% -- jumbo-sized hikes last matched in 1994.
The rate hikes have yielded mixed results, however. On an annual basis, consumer prices have moderated slightly but remain highly elevated.
The consumer price index rose 8.3% over the past year as of August, a slight slowdown from 8.5% in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some prices have already fallen significantly, though. Gas prices dropped 10.6% in August, the bureau said.
Meanwhile, rate increases appear to have slowed key sectors of the economy, sending mortgage rates higher and slowing the construction of new homes, for instance.
Still, other indicators suggest the U.S. economy continues to hum.
U.S. hiring fell from its breakneck pace butremained robust in August, with the economy adding 315,000 jobs and the unemployment rate rising to 3.7% as more people sought work, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in early September.
At closing Tuesday, each of the major stock indexes fell roughly 1% ahead of an anticipated rate hike. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled nearly 300 points.
