The Federal Reserve lowered the target for a critical short-term interest rate by a quarter of a point Wednesday, citing continued concerns about weakness in the housing market.But the Fed indicated that it is also worried about inflation, a sign that the central bank may be reluctant to cut rates again at its next meeting in December.
The Fed's commentary about inflation spooked the markets at first, and stocks gave up much of their earlier gains from the day. But stocks eventually recovered and moved on to close up for the day.
The widely-expected move comes on the heels of a half-point rate cut by the central bank in September and leaves the federal funds rate at 4.5 percent, its lowest level since January 2006.
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