First interest rate cut in 4 years likely on the horizon as the Federal Reserve meets

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the end of their two-year fight against inflation in sight, Federal Reserve officials are likely Wednesday to set the stage for the first cut to their key interest rate in four years, a major shift in policy that could eventually lower borrowing costs for U.S. consumers and businesses.

Inflation has been falling steadily closer to the Fed’s 2% target for the past several months. And the job market has cooled, with the unemployment rate rising about a half-point this year to 4.1%. Fed officials have said that they are seeking to balance the need to keep rates high enough to control inflation without keeping them too high for too long and causing a recession.

Rate cuts — as early as September — could help the Fed achieve a “soft landing,” in which high inflation is defeated without an economic downturn. Such an outcome