Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, skipping an increase after raising rates 10 times in a row since March 2022. Still, policymakers predicted that they might need to raise rates two more times this year as inflation, while moderating, remains stubborn.Fed officials, in their policy statement, said that they were giving themselves time to assess how the economy was reacting to what has been a rapid campaign to slow demand and wrestle fast inflation under control. The central bank had already raised rates to a range of 5 to 5.25 percent over a little more than a year.But policymakers also predicted in their economic forecasts that they might raise interest rates even further — to 5.6 percent by the end of 2023. That would amount to two more quarter-point rate increases over the course of the Fed’s four remaining meetings this year. The projections sent a clear signal that Fed officials are increasingly worried about inflation’s staying power and will need to do more to cool growth and bring pr …
