NEW YORK — The U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point on Wednesday for the first time in more than four years, to a range of 4.5% to 5%, aiming for a soft rate hike that will keep inflation under control. decline.
“The US economy is in good shape,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said at a news conference after the decision. “It's growing at a solid pace, inflation is coming down, the labor market is strong — we want to keep it there.”