Washington (AFP) – Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday gave a clear signal the central bank is ready to raise US interest rates in March for the first time since cutting them to zero when Covid-19 broke out. That would end the era of easy money that fueled Wall Street’s record-setting run during the pandemic. In a press conference following the year’s first meeting of the Fed’s policy-setting committee, Powell underscored the central bank’s willingness to fight rampant inflation, even as he expects prices to subside this year. “I would say the committee is of a mind to raise the …