The US Federal Reserve held interest rates firm last night at 5.25 per cent after 17 consecutive rate increases since June 2004, a result of rising energy and labour costs. The June quarter data showed that the annualised pace of growth halved to 2.5 per cent while labour costs jumped to their highest level for five years. https://www.financialstandard.com.au/feed/latest?story=15738 en-AU Copyright 2026 Financial Standard 5