Federal Reserve raises benchmark interest rate 0.75% as it tries to calm inflation

The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that it is raising its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, the sharpest hike since 1994, as it seeks to combat the fiercest surge in U.S. inflation in four decades. 

The U.S. central bank set its target rate in the range of 1.25 to 1.5%. The federal funds rate, which controls how much banks pay to borrow money from each other, affects borrowing costs for consumers and businesses. 

The Fed had previously suggested it was likely to boost rates by half a percentage point at each of its three meetings this year, but recent signals that inflation is accelerating spurred policymakers to move more aggressively to slow economic growth in a bid to tame prices.