WASHINGTON—Federal Reserve officials agreed to keep their benchmark interest rate unchanged and signaled comfort that their wait-and-see posture had steadied the economy after fears of a slowdown had sent markets reeling at the end of last year. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, played down concerns that recent soft inflation might hint at broader economic weakness. He repeatedly highlighted individual price declines that could prove transitory and, in doing so, pushed back against some market...

Source: Wall Street Journal May 01, 2019 18:02 UTC