All ears on Fed’s interest rate signal

With the US Federal Reserve expected to leave interest rates on hold this week, the market will be focusing on policymakers for clear signals on when the central bank will make its first interest rate hike in nearly a decade.

World shares ended last week on a muted note as Greece’s situation took a turn for the worse when the IMF’s delegation walked out of negotiations in Brussels citing “major differences” with Athens over how to save the country from bankruptcy.

The EU has also been telling Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras in more strident terms to stop gambling with his cash-strapped country’s future and make the big decisions needed to avert a potentially devastating default.