When will Fed cut rates? As US economy flexes its muscles, maybe later or not at all

Ever since the Federal Reserve signaled last fall that it was likely done raising interest rates, Wall Street traders, economists, would-be homeowners — pretty much everyone — began obsessing over a single question: When will the Fed start cutting rates? But now, with the U.S. economy showing surprising vigor, a different question has arisen: Will the central bank really cut rates three times this year, as the Fed itself has predicted — or even cut at all? A blockbuster March jobs report reinforced the notion that the economy is managing quite nicely on its own. Employers added a huge burst of jobs — more than 300,000 — and the unemployment rate dipped to a low 3.8%.