With the Feds looking very likely to raise interest rates for the first time this year on Wedesday, March 15th, are rife with speculation about how many times interest rates will be increased in 2017and by how much. The concensus is that if we see a rate hike on the 15th, the time schedule could accomodate up to 3 raises this year. Each increase is likely to be a mild 0.25% as the feds are still treading lightly trying to get the interest rates up to where they reflect an overall strengthening economy, but not too quickly so as to raise the specter of rapidly increasing inflation.