The Coming Week: Broken Vow

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan will begin waving goodbye to financial markets this Tuesday by raising official interest rates by a quarter point for the 13th straight time. What Greenspan says during his farewell will help determine whether it's a fond one.

Arguably, Tuesday's meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee is as eagerly awaited as any Fed meeting this year. That's because investors want to see if the FOMC drops its longstanding language to tighten monetary policy at a "measured pace."

"We're seeing a 50-50 chance that there could be some change in the language," said Arthur Hogan, chief market analyst with Jefferies. "That means we're getting close to the end, and the market can breathe a bit easier." ...