The Federal Reserve of the United States increased its interest rate by 50 points on Wednesday, bringing the benchmark to within the range of 0.75-1 percent, which means the largest hike since 2000.
This increase is in line with the market consensus, which already discounted an increase of this magnitude.
The Fed had not raised rates since 2018, and with this there are already two occasions in a row in which the benchmark rises.
The agency had previously decided to raise the rate by 25 basis points, at the meeting that its members held on March 16.
In recent weeks the president of the organization, Jerome Powell had already advanced the intention of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to accelerate the rate of hikes, alleging that inflation should be combated with the necessary tools.
Powell added at an event organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that “the rise of 50 points was on the table”, since the geopolitical context -in which the war between Russia and Ukraine stands out- has diminished the perspectives that were originally had.
Following this rise, analysts expect the Fed to raise the benchmark to 2.5 percent this year, which is a significant change from the 1.5 percent previously forecast.
