The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday it would lower interest rates two more times this year after it slashed its benchmark federal funds rate by 50 basis points to a range of 4.75%-5.0% at the conclusion of its meeting on Wednesday.

After slashing interest rates by a half-percentage point today, the Federal Reserve’s “dot plot” showed that officials project another half-percentage point of cuts this year with further reductions ahead in 2025.

Fed officials' message to markets in their latest so-called dot plot: Expect deeper rate cuts by next year than we anticipated just a few months ago. Fourteen of the 19 of central bankers penciled in rate cuts of at least 2 percentage points by the end of next year,

It’s almost certainly the most closely scrutinized scatter chart in financial markets. Every three months since January 2012, the Federal Reserve has sent analysts scurrying by updating its “dot plot,

The Federal Reserve is slated to cut interest rates in its meeting Wednesday. Follow along for live updates on the Fed interest rate decision.

Federal Reserve officials are scheduled on Wednesday to announce an interest-rate decision and release a fresh set of economic projections. Policymakers have held interest rates in a range of 5.25 to 5.