The most recent inflation data in the US exceeded last year's figures, aligning with market expectations that the May FOMC meeting would not announce a rate cut. As anticipated, the Federal Reserve Chair refrained from lowering rates and notably indicated that a rate hike is unlikely. Given this insight from the Fed Chair, let's examine historical instances of rate hikes and their impact on the S&P 500 index when rates remained steady versus when rate cuts were eventually implemented. Below is the chart from Forbes,  In the chart, the historical rate hike cycles are depicted alongside the performance of the S&P 500 index during various periods when the Federal Reserve paused its rate hikes. It is observed that the S&P 500 exhibited predominantly positive returns during these pause periods before a rate cut. ...