Markets widely expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates for the fourth time this year at its December meeting. The question is what the central bank will do next year. Recent sticky inflation prints and evidence the US economy is growing at a solid pace have raised doubts that the Fed will bring down rates as quickly as it previously

Powell just a week after the meeting said the economy was "not sending any signals that we need to be in a hurry to lower rates."

Despite inflation in some sectors remaining outside the Federal Reserve's benchmark of 2%, officials indicated they are pleased with the current easing of interest rates, and more gradual cuts may follow.

The account of the central bank’s Nov. 6-7 meeting, released on Tuesday, showed that Fed officials still planned to cut interest rates further. But with the job market holding up better than expected and the economy growing at a solid clip, they are in no rush to slash them rapidly.