Fed Lowers Rate by a Quarter Point to 4.25%

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point to 4.25 percent to prevent the housing slump and credit squeeze from undoing the six-year expansion.

The change ``should help promote moderate growth over time,'' the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement after meeting today in Washington. ``Recent developments, including the deterioration in financial market conditions, have increased the uncertainty surrounding the outlook for economic growth and inflation.''