US interest rates have continued to climb as the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark borrowing cost by a quarter of a percentage point to 2.75%.The increase is the seventh time the Fed has tweaked rates since last June.Despite saying that inflationary pressures had increased, the Fed said it would keep its measured pace of interest rate increases.

Analysts had voiced concerns that price pressures may prompt the Fed to take a more aggressive stance on future hikes.The statement was a big surprise, said Alan Ruskin, director of research at 4Cast in New York. There were a couple of clears signs that the Fed is more worried about inflation and inflation pressure.Fed watchers have been poring over the text of the central bank’s statement, looking for clues as to the state of the economy and future policy.

They point to the stronger language about the inflation risks and say that the Fed is preparing the market for further interest rate increases.In its statement the Federal Open Market Committee, which sets US interest rates, said that though longer-term inflation expectations remain well-contained, pressures on inflation have picked up in recent months and pricing power is more evident.

［辅助阅读］美国联邦储备委员会22日决定将联邦基金利率即商业银行间隔夜拆借利率再提高0.25个百分点，达到2.75%。这是美联储自去年6月以来以同样幅度连续第7次提息。