We concluded that this was the right thing for the economy and the people we serve,” the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, said, referring to the central bank’s decision to cut interest rates by half a point.

Prospects of a “soft landing,” where the Fed brings down inflation without pushing the economy into recession, have lifted stocks and bonds this year, though signs of a softening labor market have fueled worries that the Fed may be too late in acting to shore up growth.

The market performed better if there wasn’t a subsequent recession or if the economy was already in recession during easing.

Asian markets have forged higher after the Federal Reserve kicked off its efforts to prevent a recession in the U.S. with a bigger-than-usual cut to interest rates

Markets on Wall Street were positioned to open at record highs Thursday after the Federal Reserve issued a bigger-than-usual interest rate cut intended to fortify a cooling labor market and prevent a

Wall Street romped to records as a delayed jubilation swept markets worldwide following the Federal Reserve's big cut to interest rates.

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it was cutting interest rates for the first time in four years. How far will mortgage rates fall from here on out? Not so much, economists say. The central bank announced a 50-basis-point cut to its benchmark rate,