How Serious Is the Fed About Cutting Rates? Watch Today’s Fed Minutes for Clues.

Federal Reserve officials signaled at last month’s meeting that the central bank will implement three quarter-point rate cuts this year. Investors will get a better idea of what conditions prompted the Federal Open Market Committee to make this call when the minutes of that meeting are released today. The minutes from the FOMC’s Dec. 12-13 meeting will be released at 2 p.m. and should provide some additional insight into how Fed officials’ views of the economy have shifted in recent months and what economic data policy makers are prioritizing to make their economic projections.