U.S. interest rates continue to rise, but less rapidly

In the United States, interest rates continue to rise, but less rapidly than at first. The US central bank, the Fed, increases the most important rate by 0.5 percentage points, bringing it to a bandwidth of 4.25 and 4.5 percent.

This is the sixth interest rate hike this year. Over the past four times, the central bank has raised interest rates by 0.75 percentage points, a historically high percentage. That series is now coming to an end.

The Fed raised interest rates so quickly to counter the skyrocketing inflation. In November, it reached an encouraging 7.1 percent in the US, the lowest in the past eleven months. Nevertheless, many Americans are still struggling with the high prices: they may spend less on the gas pump, but the price of food, for example, continues to rise.

The European Central Bank also has a policy meeting tomorrow and it is expected that an interest rate increase will also be decided there. That would be the fourth time this year.