Hotter-than-expected inflation numbers have prompted investment bank Goldman Sachs to boost its predictions for the number of times the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates in a bid to cool surging prices. Inflation accelerated in the 12 months through January to a dizzying 7.5 percent, a fresh 40-year high that topped market estimates of 7.3 percent. On a month-over-month basis, prices also jumped at a higher-than-expected rate of 0.6 percent, with the forecast-beating prints fueling market speculation that the Fed would have to move faster in dialing back pandemic-era easy money settings. Traders boosted their expectations for a big 50-basis-point interest hike when the Fed holds its next policy meeting in March, with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s (CME) Fed Watch tracker indicating an 85 percent chance for a half-a-percentage-point rise compared to 15 percent predicting a smaller 25-basis-point hike. Citi economists shifted their forecast relative to late January, now predicting the Fed would raise …