AlHijjah,1436 , 18 September,2015, SPA -- The US Federal Reserve has hinted since last year at a gradual tightening of monetary policy, but the central bank kept its benchmark interest rate at an unprecedented near-zero range Thursday, dpa reported. The decision followed last month's Chinese stock correction, which played havoc on global financial markets and drove up the dollar as panicked investors fled to US assets. The Fed's monetary policy committee decided to wait for more evidence of US economic strength "in light of the heightened uncertainties abroad and a slightly softer expected path for inflation," Chairwoman Janet Yellen said. "We want to take a little bit more time to evaluate the likely impacts on the United States," she said. Expectations on Wall Street for action on interest rates - either Thursday or next month - had been high until last month's stock swoon. A survey released by the 17-person monetary policy committee showed 13 members still expect an interest-rate hike this year, down from 15 of 17 members in the Fed's last survey in June. -- SPA 10:14 LOCAL TIME 07:14 GMT تغريد
