US federal interest rate to stay near zero through 2023

The president wrote that the Fed is "the only problem our economy has." Wall Street stocks plunged for a fourth straight session despite Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's efforts to reassure investors.

The African Union says "serious doubts" remain over Democratic Republic of Congo's election results. The AU isn't alone in expressing qualms about the outcome of the presidential election.

After a series of rises, the US central bank's policy meeting decided to hold interest rates in their current range. It also predicted a gloomier outlook for growth than that coming from Trump's White House.

The US central bank cut interest rates for the first time since 2008, citing concerns about the global economy. The move comes amid economic uncertainties amid President Donald Trump's trade wars and Brexit.

US Federal Reserve cuts interest rates for the second time in 2019

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Thursday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.⁣⁣

The US Federal Reserve has opened the door to an interest rate hike and tapering of its emergency monetary stimulus. The central bank has warned, though, that the rising number of Covid-19 cases could impact economic growth. Christian Lawrence, Senior Markets Strategist at Rabobank New York, explains the impact on American households. Also on the show: Netflix seeks the golden ticket as it acquires the rights to late British author Roald Dahl's creations.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange did not say why it has suspended trading in Evergrande shares, but there is speculation that another major developer may buy out the company's property management unit.

The Federal Reserve is paving the way for possible interest rate hikes next year, in an effort to contain stubbornly high inflation. At the conclusion of a two-day policy meeting Wednesday, the central bank announced plans to phase out its large-scale bond-buying program faster than initially planned. The Fed started purchasing bonds during the pandemic as a way to keep borrowing costs across the economy low and to prevent any market disruptions.

Inflation in the United States has jumped to 7%, the highest increase in nearly four decades. The Federal Reserve has already begun removing pandemic-related stimulus.

The US Federal Reserve is setting the stage to raise interest rates in March, to combat elevated inflation. It's also taking further steps to phase out its emergency support of the US economy. Nancy Vanden Houten, Lead US Economist at Oxford Economics, says America's central bank has limited tools to fight the surge in prices. Also in the show - workers at France's EDF go on strike, over government efforts to limit electricity bills.

There have been scenes of jubilation in Mali after France said it would begin to pull its troops out of the West African country. France has helped battle jihadi groups for nine years — until relations with Mali's military leaders turned sour.