WASHINGTON (AP) — The statement expected today at the end of the latest Federal Reserve policy meeting will be meticulously reviewed for any hints about future interest rate increases from current record lows.

The expectation is the Fed will repeat the pledge it made in December: That it will be "patient."

The U.S. economy has steadily improved. Yet inflation has dipped further below the Fed's target rate, thanks to plunging oil prices and a surging dollar. The stronger dollar makes foreign goods cheaper in the United States.

Most economists foresee no rate hike until June at the earliest. And given recent developments, some economists are starting to push back their predicted timetable for the first rate hike to September or December.

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