Ammon News - The U.S. central bank held interest rates steady on Wednesday and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there would be no rush to cut them again until inflation and jobs data made it appropriate.

The decision and Powell's comments put Fed policy in a holding pattern at a time when the U.S. economic landscape seems both stable and wildly uncertain - with a healthy set of macroeconomic fundamentals that have changed little in recent months, but coming decisions from the Trump administration on immigration, tariffs, taxes and other areas that could prove disruptive.

Emerging from their first policy meeting during President Donald Trump's second term in the White House, Powell said Fed officials are "waiting to see what policies are enacted" before judging the effects on inflation, employment and overall economic activity, with no reason to adjust rates further until data either show a renewed decline in inflation or rising risks to the jobs market.

"I think our policy stance is very well-calibrated," Powell said in a press conference after the end of the Fed's latest two-day policy meeting. "The unemployment rate has been broadly stable for six months ... The last couple of inflation readings ... have suggested more positive readings." Reuters