What to watch for from the Federal Reserve

WASHINGTON» No one will likely be surprised by the announcement the Fed is set to make when its latest policy meeting ends Wednesday: That it’s raising its key shortterm interest rate for the second time this year.

Economists from the nation’s largest securities firms were unanimous in an outlook released Monday that the Fed will raise its benchmark rate by a modest quarterpoint to a range of 1.75 percent to 2 percent. The Fed’s expected move reflects a U.S. economy that is still fundamentally healthy nine years into an expansion.

The rate increase will likely lead to somewhat higher rates on a variety of consumer and business loans over time. Savers, though, may eventually receive slightly higher yields.

Here are three things to watch for after the Fed meeting ends:

State of the economy: Since the Fed last met in early May, most economic indicators have signaled steady strength. The nation’s unemployment rate is at an 18-year low of 3.8 percent. Consumer spending has rebounded from a winter lull. Some analysts expect the economy’s growth, as gauged by the gross domestic product, to achieve a brisk annual rate of up to 4 percent in the April-June quarter.

The Fed’s policymakers are expected to factor that rosy expectation into the updated economic forecasts they will issue Wednesday. In their previous forecasts in March, the officials had not envisioned a jobless rate as low as the current 3.8 percent until year’s end. The central bank will probably adjust its forecast for unemployment to account for the lower-than-expected current rate.

Pace of rate hikes: Besides updating its economic forecasts, the Fed will reveal the anonymous projections of its individual board members and its 12 regional bank presidents of the pace of future rate increases. In March, the officials collectively projected a total of three rate hikes in 2018, matching the number in 2017, after one rate increase in 2015 and one in 2016.

Economists are divided on whether the Fed will stick with its plan to raise rates three times in 2018 or revise that forecast to four. The case for a slight acceleration in rate hikes would be to take account of faster economic growth expected this year, partly a result of increased consumer and business spending from the tax cut Congress enacted late last year.

Impact of trade tensions: Last month, the Fed reported that businesses around the country had expressed concern about growing uncertainty over global trade. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on the imports of several countries in an effort to protect the U.S. steel and aluminum industries and he has threatened up to $150 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods.

Tariffs, which amount to a border tax that raises the price of imported goods, could elevate inflation.