Feds Unlikely to Scale Back Bond-Buying This Week

No tapering of stimulus

This week's Federal Reserve meeting is expected to lack the drama of recent gatherings, with economists saying there's virtually no chance policymakers will begin to scale back the central bank's bond-buying stimulus.

Still, Fed watchers will be scouring the Fed's post-meeting statement for clues as to whether tapering remains a possibility this year or likely will be delayed until 2014 amid recent turmoil in Washington and mixed economic data. Fed policymakers meet Tuesday and Wednesday.

None of the 41 economists recently surveyed by USA TODAY expected the Fed this week to dial down its $85 billion in monthly government bond purchases, which are intended to hold down interest rates and spur growth. Many economists have pushed back their estimates for an initial pullback from December to March.