US Fed keeps interest rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75 pct

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US Fed keeps interest rate unchanged at 3.5-3.75 pct

2026-01-29 08:48 Last Updated At：18:51

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept the target range for the federal funds interest rate unchanged at 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent at its first policy meeting of 2026.

The decision follows three consecutive rate cuts in the second half of 2025.

"Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace. Job gains have remained low, and the unemployment rate has shown some signs of stabilization. Inflation remains somewhat elevated," said the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in a statement.

"In support of its goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 percent," the statement said.

"In considering the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will carefully assess incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks," the statement said.

The FOMC reiterated its commitment to supporting maximum employment and returning inflation to its 2 percent objective.

Of the 12 FOMC members, 10 voted for keeping the rate unchanged. Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller voted against the action, preferring to lower the interest rate by 25 basis points at the meeting.

China launches Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship

China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.