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U.S. stocks dropped on speculation the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates this year to keep a lid on inflation. The S&P 500 slumped 1.2% Wednesday after the Fed released projections showing nearly half its policymakers foresee at least one increase to its main interest rate in 2026. The Dow Jones Industrial Average went from a gain of 0.5% in the morning to a drop of 1%, while the Nasdaq composite sank 1.3%. Treasury yields climbed on rising expectations for a hike to rates. Higher rates can tap the brakes on inflation, but they also slow the economy and hurt prices for investments.

The Federal Reserve has for decades moved steadily from a remote, opaque government agency that shared little about what it did or why to a more transparent institution willing to explain how it makes decisions and what it thinks about the economy. New chair Kevin Warsh has begun to reverse some of those steps because he believes that by signaling its intentions the Fed pigeonholes itself into a position on interest rates. Yet such an approach carries the risk of more violent swings in stock and bond prices, analysts say, and ultimately higher interest rates for consumers and businesses.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve has for decades moved steadily from a remote, opaque g…