The Fed is sending mixed messages about interest rates — and Wall Street is trying to figure out wha

Federal Reserve officials are increasingly concerned that low inflation may be more persistent than "transitory," and that could slow the pace of interest rate hikes. A flat yield curve, where long-term interest rates are unusually close to short-term rates, is a bad sign for the economy and is also a reason for Fed officials not to raise rates further. The Fed's forecasts still point to three interest-rate increases this year, but doubts from investors could lead to market turbulence later...