Should You Buy the S&P 500 Index Before Sept. 17?

After months of anticipation, the Federal Reserve's September meeting is on the market's doorstep. The interest rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will begin its September meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, and conclude on Sept. 17, with a decision regarding the Fed's benchmark federal funds rate. Will it leave the rate unchanged, raise it, or lower its range? If it lowers the rate, it must decide by how much. The market is currently pricing in a very high likelihood of a cut in the prime overnight lending rate (as of Sept. 8).Lower interest rates tend to be supportive of companies that need to borrow money to operate, and that tends to excite stock traders, leading to higher stock prices. In anticipation of this increased enthusiasm, should investors buy the broader benchmark S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) before Sept. 17?Image source: Getty Images.Continue readingWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool