The U.S. Federal Reserve did what many expected on Wednesday as it left its key interest rate range unchanged. The central bank maintained its overnight lending rate for banks at a target range of between 0.25 and 0.50% where it has been since it was boosted from near zero back in December. Expectations now have moved to the two-day meeting on 14/15 June.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Tuesday that the Fed still envisions a gradual pace of interest rate increases in light of global pressures that could weigh on the economy. Yellen did not specify a timetable for further hikes to follow the Fed's rate increase in December from record lows. She said the risks to the United States remain limited but cautions that assessment is subject to “considerable uncertainty.”
US markets rose on Wednesday, following the decision by the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged and a statement indicating the rate would only rise twice in 2016. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 79.64 points to 17,331.17. The S&P 500 gained 11.68 points to 2,027.61, while the tech-focused Nasdaq index was up 35.30 at 4,763.97.
The United States economy grew at a faster pace than previously thought in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the latest official figures. Growth was an annualized 1% in the quarter, compared with an initial estimate of 0.7%.
Tightening financial conditions driven by falling stock prices, uncertainty over China and a global reassessment of credit risk could throw the US economy off track from an otherwise solid course, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen cautioned in a prepared testimony to Congress on Wednesday.
The United States Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates in December was a close call, according to minutes from the Fed's December meeting. Fed members voted unanimously to raise its key interest rate by 25 basis points to between 0.25% and 0.5%. a move widely expected.But some members were cautious, because of global concerns and low inflation.
The United States Federal Reserve on Wednesday delivered its first interest rate hike since 2006, with the decision a unanimous one. The central bank raised its key federal funds rate to 0.25%, up from at or near zero percent for the last seven years.
US jobs growth remained solid in November as the economy added 211,000 jobs, slightly above expectations. The data, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, also showed the jobless rate held at its seven-and-a-half year low of 5%. Construction, food services and retail sectors all saw healthy job increases.
Expectations of a rise in US interest rates in December have soared following a stronger-than-expected jobs report. The US economy added 271,000 jobs in October, far exceeding the 185,000 jobs that economists had forecast.
The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, but downplayed global economic headwinds and left the door open to tightening monetary policy at its next meeting in December.