In a sign that traders in the interest rate options market have recently sharply increased their bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 50 basis points outright this month, reflecting growing speculation that policymakers will act aggressively to prevent a downturn in the economy.。Options tied to the Secured Overnight Funding Rate (SOFR) show a surge in the number of open positions (i.e., the number of positions held by dealers) in some call contracts that expire on September 13, five days before the Fed's September rate decision.。The odds of a 50 basis point rate cut jumped to 50 percent at one point after the overnight JOLTS report, and have since gradually fallen back to 45 percent, but are still significantly higher than the previous day's 38 percent, according to CME's Fed Watch tool.。