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WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday pressed forward with its aggressive efforts to stimulate the U.S. economy, saying it would take into account risks posed by its policies but also how much progress it was making lowering unemployment.

Meeting just as turmoil in Europe took another turn for the worse, the central bank nodded to brighter economic signs in the United States but dropped a reference from its last policy statement that global financial strains were easing.

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[np_storybar title=”Could it be we are finally over the financial crisis?” link=”http://business.financialpost.com/2013/03/13/could-it-be-we-are-finally-over-the-financial-crisis/”]One of the big themes of 2013 is the end of the US economic crisis.

That’s not to say that the economy is incredibly strong (GDP growth remains mediocre and unemployment is too high) but several of the key conditions that characterized the financial crisis, and the ensuing years, are starting to fade.