The Federal Reserve downgraded its assessment of the economy on Wednesday after a winter that saw growth slow to a trickle. It kept its key interest rate unchanged.
On a day when the government said the economy barely grew in the January-March quarter, the Fed gave no indication it is any closer to raising a key rate from its six-year low near zero. The Fed noted in a statement that growth slowed, business investment softened and exports declined.
It repeated previous language that it needs to be "reasonably confident" that low inflation will move back to its 2 percent target.
The Fed statement's followed a policy meeting and came hours after the government estimated that the economy slowed to a 0.2 percent annual growth rate in the first quarter of 2015.
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-- The Associated Press