Lima, 04/05/2022 01:40 p.m.
The Federal Reserve of the United States (Fed) raised its reference interest rates by half a percentage point on Wednesday, the first increase of this magnitude since 2000, to try to control record inflation, and signaled that further increases “will be justified”. ” to future.
The rates were in a range of 0.75% to 1%, according to the official statement issued at the end of a two-day meeting of the Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Committee (FOMC).
In addition, the agency will begin to reduce its holding in bonds from June and warned that the war in Ukraine and the lockdowns in China aggravate inflation.
The Fed continues to believe that inflation will gradually return to the 2% target the Fed gave itself as the cost of credit rises, but it will remain “very attentive to inflationary risks”.
The FOMC also noted the “highly uncertain” impact of external factors, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine that is “creating additional pressure on inflation and will weigh on economic activity”.
Lockdowns in China to combat COVID-19 “supply chain disruptions are likely to increase”he added.
The reduction of its assets will mean the release of US$ 47.5 billion in bonds and titles per month as of June 1, to double the figure after three months.
The Fed has accumulated $9 trillion in Treasury bonds and other securities among its assets, as a way to inject liquidity into the financial system during the pandemic.