Cyberzenhub.com – The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by one-quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday, its first increase since July 2023, as policymakers responded to inflation that has accelerated during the Iran war.

The decision placed the federal funds rate in a range of 3.75% to 4%. While that is well below the levels reached in 2023, it remains far above the near-zero setting used at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The move signals that the central bank sees renewed price pressure as a threat serious enough to warrant higher borrowing costs.…