The dollar strengthened on Thursday after the Federal Reserve took an upbeat view of the world's largest economy and signaled it was on track to raise interest rates this year. Fitch's Global Head of Sovereign Ratings James McCormack expects the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise rates mid-2015.

SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JANUARY 29, 2015) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. SLATE, READING (English): 'THE FED'S PATIENT PLEDGE STAYS, EVEN AS IT SAYS THAT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY HAS RECOVERED AT A SOLID PACE. BY WHEN DO YOU SEE THE FED MOVE TO HIKE RATES?'

2. FITCH RATINGS, GLOBAL HEAD OF SOVEREIGN RATINGS, JAMES MCCORMACK, SAYING:

'Well our expectation for some time has been that the Fed raises rates around the middle of 2015. I think the only thing that could get in the way of that now is lower inflation. The last couple of months the inflation print in the U.S. on a month over month basis has been negative so that may cause the Fed to think twice and possibly delay that Fed rate hike until later in the year, some people are talking about next year but our expectation is probably in 2015 second half maybe the latter half of the second half.'

3. SLATE, READING (English): 'THERE WAS NO MENTION IN THE FOMC STATEMENT OF THE SPOTTY GLOBAL RECOVERY OR THE SURGING DOLLAR. WHAT'S YOUR OUTLOOK ON THE DOLLAR?'

4. FITCH RATINGS, GLOBAL HEAD OF SOVEREIGN RATINGS, JAMES MCCORMACK, SAYING:

'Well we definitely see the dollar strengthening in 2015. That is a continuation of what we have seen last year. The Fed will be tightening, the question is when and the ECB and the Bank of Japan are both loosening. So the U.S. economy is growing faster, investors are going to get a better return in the U.S. so that will attract capital inflows. So there are a number of factors that are really pointing to a stronger dollar this year.'

5. SLATE, READING (English): 'WHAT ARE YOU MAKING OF THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN THE U.S.? Q4 GDP DATA IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY. WILL IT BE AS TERRIFIC AS THE 5% WE SAW IN Q3?'

6. FITCH RATINGS, GLOBAL HEAD OF SOVEREIGN RATINGS, JAMES MCCORMACK, SAYING:

'Probably not that good, no, 5 percent really is not a sustainable rate of growth in the U.S. for any extended period of time. Our expectation is that growth this year will be around 3 percent and we think that the quarterly number that we see on Friday will also be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3 percent. That is still higher than potential growth in the U.S. which is somewhere between 2.25 and 2.5. So still growing above potential but not in that 5 percent range.'