The reaction to the rate cut has been positive across the soft landing checklist. Odds of avoiding recession are higher following Chair Powell's aggressive start.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is known for providing clear signals about the central bank’s next interest rate move in order to avoid roiling markets. But Wall Street was mostly clueless this week when it came to predicting how big a rate cut the Fed would deliver on Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve made a 0.50 percentage point cut, double the typical reduction. Here's what's behind the decision.