Fed leaves interest rates unchanged

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Reserve kept key interest rates unchanged Tuesday.

The central bank said in its statement the Federal Open Markets Committee "continues to believe that an accommodative stance of monetary policy, coupled with robust underlying growth in productivity, is providing important ongoing support to economic activity."

The Fed added: "The evidence accumulated over the intermeeting period confirms that output is expanding briskly, and the labor market appears to be improving modestly. Increases in core consumer prices are muted and expected to remain low."