The Federal Reserve starts a two-day meeting today but the US central bank is widely expected to leave US interest rates unchanged.
The Federal Open Market Committee which sets the rate at which banks make overnight loans to each other, is expected to release its usual post-meeting statement at about 7:15 p.m. Irish time.
Wall street expects the Fed to maintain its 1.25 per cent federal funds rate target. But four of the so-called primary dealers said they believe the Fed will downgrade its outlook ahead for the US economy.
In November, after cutting rates by a hefty half-percentage point, the Fed said the economic risks were balanced between inflation and slower growth.
But with recent data on employment and industrial production showing lingering weakness, a few dealers expect the Fed to say the risks of slower growth now outweigh those of eventual inflation.