Federal Reserve officials nudged their expected path of interest rate increases higher on Wednesday, but did little to change the outlook for a long slow climb back up to normal monetary policy. The so-called “dots” matrix from the Fed rate setters showed their median view of the appropriate federal funds rate by end-2015 at 1.375 percent versus 1.125 percent in their last projections in June. By the end of 2017, Fed officials see their target rate back at what they consider a neutral level of around 3.75 percent.