One economist recently suggested that the Federal Reserve's first step to raise interest rates, whether in June, or beyond, would be to lift rates even more gently than the market currently expects – perhaps 0.125 percent vs. the 0.25 percent expected.




Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen

I don't think the Fed will raise rates at all in 2015, owing to a weakening world economy and a strengthening U.S. dollar. However, if the Fed believes the normalization process should begin this year, I would suggest an even more modest proposal that might allow the central bank to gently test the market and economic waters.