The Federal Reserve has slashed a key interest rate by half a percentage point as it seeks to revive an economy hit by a long list of maladies stemming from the most severe financial crisis in decades. The central bank on Wednesday reduced its target for the federal funds rate, the interest banks charge on overnight loans, to 1 percent, a low last seen in 2003-2004. The funds rate has not been lower since 1958, when Dwight Eisenhower was president. The cut marked the second half-point reduction in the funds rate this month. The Fed slashed the rate by that amount in a coordinated move with foreign central banks on October 8. In a brief statement explaining Wednesday's action, the Fed said the "intensification of financial-market turmoil is likely to exert additional restraint on spending, partly by further reducing the ability of households and business to obtain credit." The central bank said that "downside risks to growth remain," holding out the promise of further rate cuts if needed. The rate-cut decision was unanimous. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues pledged that they would "monitor economic and financial developments carefully and will act as needed to promote sustainable economic growth and price stability." Wall Street had staged its second biggest point surge ever on Tuesday with the Dow Jones industrial average climbing by 889 points in anticipation of the Fed's action. Trading was more subdued on Wednesday with the Dow actually down by about 30 points in the first 15 minutes after the afternoon announcement, and then showing a roughly 30-point gain shortly after that. Many analysts believe the Fed will not stop at 1% if officials see the need to cut rates further. Some are forecasting another half-point move at the Fed's last meeting of the year on December 16. But other economists said with rates already so low, the Fed may decide to hold at 1%, leaving some room for a further reduction if needed next year should the country's economic troubles intensify. In its statement, the Fed indicated it had room to lower rates because the spreading economic weakness was lowering the risks that inflation would get out of control. Indeed, the weakness has caused dramatic declines in the price of oil and other commodities. While many economists believe the US has already fallen into a recession, they think the aggressive efforts by the Fed to cut rates and take other actions to unfreeze credit markets will keep the country from plunging into a prolonged and deep downturn. The Fed's action was expected to be quickly followed by a reduction by commercial banks in their prime lending rate, the benchmark for millions of consumer and business loans, by a similar half-point. The central bank also announced that it was lowering its discount rate, the interest it charges to make direct loans to banks, by a half-point to 1.25%. This rate has become increasingly important as the central bank has dramatically increased direct loans to banks in an effort to break the grip of the credit crisis.
