Fed Raises Interest Rates, Signals 2 More Hikes This Year

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks before the Economic Club of Chicago on April 6. For the second time this year, the central bank is expected to raise a key short-term rate by a quarter-point on Wednesday

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP

Updated at 2:21 p.m. ET

The Federal Reserve increased a key interest rate again Wednesday, which will trigger higher rates on credit cards, home equity lines and other kinds of borrowing.

Wednesday’s action, which was widely expected, was the second Fed rate hike this year — and the seventh since it began boosting them in 2015. The latest increase puts the federal funds rate in a range between 1.75 and 2 percent. The Fed previously nudged rates up in March.