Originally Posted by Snake Doctor

This usually happens in an election year.
The fed wants to get all of the rate hikes or cuts out of the way before the general election campaign starts in full swing, so that it doesn't look like they're trying to benefit either party with their actions.

Also, this is a sign that Bernanke has been behind the curve and should have started cutting a long time ago instead of jacking rates up twice when he first took over.