The US central bank (Fed) on Wednesday announced the tenth straight increase in its rates, by a quarter of a percentage point, in the face of still-high inflation, despite signs of the US economy running out of steam, and in despite the recent banking crisis.

The Fed's main policy rate is now in a range of 5.00 to 5.25%, the highest since 2006, following a unanimous decision. Fed officials say they will watch the effects of successive decisions, and the time with which they affect the real economy, to decide whether to tighten monetary policy further to bring inflation down. at 2.00%.