US central bankers face an unenviable task when they gather in Washington next week: Tackling persistent inflation without adding to financial sector turmoil after Silicon Valley Bank’s rapid collapse.

The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates eight times since last year in the face of decades-high inflation as it looks to cool the economy without tipping it into a recession.

While Fed Chair Jerome Powell earlier signalled a willingness to speed up interest rate hikes if needed, most analysts and traders see a small rise of 25 basis points as the most likely outcome on Wednesday (Mar 22) at the end of the Fed’s two-day meeting.

A quarter-percentage-point hike would match the magnitude of the Fed’s last increase in February.