rise campaign eventually but has been vague about timing. The halt is likely to come when rates hit a level the Fed deems "neutral," one that neither slows growth nor stimulates inflation. After cutting rates 13 times through June 2003 to a 1958 low of 1 percent, the Fed last June started removing stimulus from the economy through a series of gradual increases. Economists say a neutral fed funds rate lies somewhere between 3 percent and 5 percent but policy-makers have been loath to pin that down as they assess incoming economic data. The Fed will have a prime opportunity to shed some light on the future on July 20 when Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan testifies on the economy before the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. --SP 2339 Local Time 2039 GMT
