Off the wire
• U.S. President Trump urges Senate Republicans to crash Dem. resistance for his Supreme Court pick  • Nigerian gov't vows to tackle humanitarian challenges in northeast  • 1st LD: U.S. Fed keeps interest rates unchanged in January meeting  • Roundup: Iran says missile test "inalienable right" for deterrent purposes  • EP resolution encourages Albania to push ahead with reforms: official  • Urgent: U.S. puts Iran "on notice" over "destabilizing" actions  • Urgent: U.S. puts Iran "on notice" over "destabilizing" actions  • Albania sees fall in non-performing loans  • Contact Group on Ukraine urges to cease hostilities  • Urgent: U.S. Fed keeps interest rates unchanged in January meeting  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD: U.S. Fed keeps interest rates unchanged in January meeting

Xinhua, February 2, 2017 Adjust font size:

U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday left the benchmark interest rates unchanged and offered no hint on when it might move.

The central bank painted a relatively upbeat picture for the economy. "Labor market continued to strengthen and ... economic activity has continued to expand at a moderate pace," the central bank in a statement after concluding its two-day policy meeting.

It also acknowledged the improved consumer and business sentiment following the election of Donald Trump as the U.S. President.

The upbeat economic assessment suggested that the central bank should be on track to raise interest rates in the future. Last December, the Fed raised benchmark interest rates by 25 basis points, the first and only time in 2016. Enditem