Federal reserve to keep interest rates low until US economy no longer threatened by pandemic, chairman says

The Federal Reserve intends to keep interest rates low as long as the US economy is slowed and further threatened by the coronavirus pandemic, Chairman Jerome Powell told a House panel.

“Our priority remains supporting the economy until we’re really well through this. We are going to keep our rates low, and keep our tools working until we feel we are very clearly past the danger that’s presented to the economy from the pandemic,” the central bank chief said on Wednesday.

“So we are not considering pulling back our support for the economy,” he added. “And we are not going to until we feel very confident that it’s no longer necessary.”