The US Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 0.5 percentage points

Washington The US Federal Reserve (Fed) is introducing a new phase in monetary policy. It raised interest rates by 0.5 percentage points on Wednesday, slower than in previous months. The key interest rate is now in the range of 4.25 to 4.5 percent, as the Fed announced in Washington on Wednesday.

The central bankers led by Fed Chair Jerome Powell had previously raised interest rates by 0.75 percentage points four times in a row – the fastest rate in over 40 years. Overall, however, the central bankers are assuming that the key interest rate will be higher than initially assumed, even if the rate hikes are now smaller. This put a damper on the stock markets.