<Anchor>
The United States, which sharply raised its benchmark interest rate last year, seems to be taking a breath as it enters the new year.
As expected, it only raised interest rates by 0.25%p.
In the market, there is even a mixed expectation that the United States will be able to cut interest rates within this year.
This news was delivered by Correspondent Kim Jong-won from New York.
<Reporter>
As the US Federal Reserve System raised the base rate by 0.25%p as expected by the market, the US interest rate went from 4.5% to 4.75%.
Now, the market's attention is on how much further interest rates will be raised and, moreover, when they will be lowered.
First, Fed Chairman Powell said there could be a couple more rate hikes.
[Jerome Powell/Chairman of the Federal Reserve System: So far, we have raised the interest rate by 4.5%p, and we are discussing raising it two more times in the future (to stabilize prices).
] It will be 5.25% from the 5% suggested last year.
Chairman Powell said inflation has slowed but is still high, and he stressed that interest rates may rise higher than expected in the future.
However, the market does not believe the Fed's announcement.
Investors who saw Chairman Powell's briefing rather believe that the light has begun to be seen at the end of a long tunnel.
This remark in particular caught my attention.
[Jerome Powell/Chairman of the US Federal Reserve System: The current disinflation is in its very early stages.
This is currently happening in the commodity sector, but inflation is coming down as the supply chain normalizes.]
Disinflation means that inflation is easing, and this is the first time Chairman Powell has officially used it.
For this reason, some are even predicting that the Fed may raise rates by May and then cut rates at the end of the year.
(Video coverage: Lee Sang-wook, Video editing: Jung Yong-hwa)
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