The Federal Reserve's much-anticipated interest rate-cutting campaign started with a bang after Jerome Powell and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) elected to lower the target range of the benchmark federal funds rate by a half-point,

Some forecasters expect the Fed to cut interest rates by a quarter-point Wednesday. Most, however, expect a half-point reduction. The CME FedWatch forecast tracker favored a half-point cut by a 55-45 margin at midday. (Earlier Wednesday, forecasters rated the probability of a half-point reduction even higher.)

On the other hand, home equity loans typically have fixed rates, set when you take out the loan. So, if you currently have a HELoan, its rate won’t change with the Fed’s cut. You might want to consider refinancing to snag those lower rates. (More on that later.) Of course, new home equity loans can, and do, reflect any rate change by the Fed.