Oh yeah, but the market's been predicting the fed will be "forced" to drop interest rates for about a year now, base solely on the taper tantrum from several ye

Oh yeah, but the market's been predicting the fed will be "forced" to drop interest rates for about a year now, base solely on the taper tantrum from several years ago. Hasn't happened yet. What the market seems to be conveniently ignoring is that a world where the Fed allows itself to be "forced" into lowering rates to near-zero again is a world where the Fed largely ceases to be relevant. So the Fed is, IMO, going to keep rates at least where they are if not higher if for no other reason than self-preservation. They'll have to see complete market capitulation before they'll consider lowering again. Besides, one of their mandates is price stability. If they lower rates again, guess what happens? More inflation, and then they have to raise rates again because Congress certainly isn't capable of doing anything about it.