Key Takeaways Although it's not the most likely scenario, Federal Reserve officials are discussing the possibility of raising interest rates if inflation accelerates. The discussion of rate hikes is a departure from recent months, when the focus was on how soon and how much to lower them. Fed officials are caught between the need to lower rates to boost the job market as hiring slows, or keeping them higher for longer to stifle inflation. Policymakers at the Federal Reserve are discussing the po ...