14 Mar 2012

Federal Reserve shows slight optimism on US economy

1:01 pm on 14 March 2012

The US central bank has made no change to monetary policy, noting that recent financial market strains have eased.

The Federal Reserve held its latest one-day meeting on Tuesday.

In a statement following the meeting, it said the US economy was expanding moderately but growth still faces significant risks.

The bank also said the job market had improved but unemployment remained high.

Figures last week showed unemployment running at 8.3%, down from 9.1%.