08/05/2025 01:38 AST

The US Federal Reserve held its interest rates on Wednesday, as the US central bank continued to pause as officials say they want a clearer picture of the US economy's direction before deciding their next interest rate move.

In a statement, the Federal Open Markets Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 4.25 to 4.5 per cent. This was the fourth month in a row that the rates have remained the same.

With the labour market weakening, the Fed changed course in September 2024 when it cut the federal funds rate by 50 basis points to a range of 4.75 per cent to 5.00 per cent. The Fed then cut rates by 25 basis points in each of the next two months, before choosing to maintain a range of 4.25 per cent to 4.50 per cent in January 2025.


Khaleej Times

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