Wall Street has been seesawing for weeks as traders tear up their forecasts for what the Fed will do with interest rates in 2025. A further easing would boost the U.S. economy and prices for investments, but it could also give inflation more fuel.

Wall Street banks JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup notched up strong rises in profits at the end of last year, powered by a boom in trading and dealmaking. JPMorgan’s net earnings rose 50 per cent per cent to $14bn,

U.S. stocks ripped higher after an encouraging update on U.S. inflation. The S&P 500 jumped 1.8% for its best day in two months Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 2.