At the Conclusion of Its Meeting on January 27, 2016

Essay

At the conclusion of its meeting on January 27, 2016, the Federal Open Market Committee released a statement that included the following sentence: "Given the economic outlook, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at ¼ to ½ percent. The stance of monetary policy remains accommodative, thereby supporting further improvement in labor market conditions and return to 2 percent inflation." What is the significance of this statement?