FED HOLDS FUNDS RATE AT 5.25 PERCENT

Date July 5, 2007

Citing moderate economic growth during the first six months of the year, the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee last week decided to leave its short-term interest rate at 5.25 percent, where it has stood since June 2006. The federal funds target rate is the interest rate charged by banks when they borrow funds "overnight" from each other. While the federal funds rate has no direct impact on other rates, such as those for mortgages, it can alter them indirectly.

In a prepared statement, the Fed acknowledged that while readings on core inflation have improved in recent months, risk remains that inflation will fail to moderate in the coming months as expected. "A sustained moderation in inflation pressures has yet to be convincingly demonstrated," according to the statement.

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