Fed raises benchmark interest rate to highest in decades

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point. Last month, the Fed took a break from raising rates after ten consecutive rate hikes. The Fed has increased its benchmark interest rate from nearly zero to more than 5 percent in about a year and a half. At 5.3 percent, the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate is at its highest level since 2001.

Why is the Fed raising rates again after taking a break? Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell described the move as another step toward stabilizing prices. In June 2022, the United States' annualized inflation rate perched above 9 percent. Last month, its annualized inflation rate slowed to 3 percent. The Fed has repeatedly stated its goal is to reduce inflation to a rate of 2 percent. Powell said Wednesday that the Federal Reserve experts no longer foresaw a recession.

Dig deeper: Read Abi Churchill’s report in WORLD Magazine about how the Fed fights inflation.