Central Banks Make Coordinated Rate Cut

Updated from 8:37 a.m. EDT

The Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and other major central banks cut interest rates Wednesday in a coordinated effort to stem the global financial crisis.

The Fed cut its key lending rate a half-point to 1.5%, and the ECB cut its key rate a half point to 3.75%. The Bank of England cut its key rate by a half point to 4.5%. The central banks of Canada, Sweden and Switzerland also reduced rates.

The Bank of Japan expressed its strong support of these policy actions, the Fed said in a statement.

The Fed, which had resisted rate cuts since April, despite sagging equities and credit markets, said it reduced rates "in light of evidence pointing to a weakening of economic activity and a reduction in inflationary pressures."

"Incoming economic data suggest that the pace of economic activity has slowed markedly in recent months," the Fed said in the statement. "Moreover, the intensification of financial market turmoil is likely to exert additional restraint on spending, partly by further reducing the ability of households and businesses to obtain credit. Inflation has been high, but the committee believes that the decline in energy and other commodity prices and the weaker prospects for economic activity have reduced the upside risks to inflation."

The Fed also approved a 50-basis-point decrease in the discount rate to 1.75%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fluctuated wildly throughout the day, falling as much as 250 points, but more recently was up more than 100 points on encouraging signs in the credit markets.