Federal Reserve policymakers may feel less pressed to ramp up the pace of their policy tightening this month after data Friday showed wage gains slowed in February, rekindling hopes inflation will ease as the pandemic-disrupted labor market normalizes.
Also fueling bets the Fed will stick to a quarter-point interest-rate increase at its March 21-22 meeting: U.S. regulators on Friday closed Silicon Valley Bank after its shares tanked amid concerns over its balance sheet, and central bankers may be wary of causing more strain on the banking sector with sharper rate hikes.
Source: Reduced pressure on Fed to quicken rate hikes as wage gains cool down