WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday said the pace of deterioration in the U.S. economy appeared to be slowing, but said it would continue to keep interest rates exceptionally low for an extended period.
Wrapping up a two-day policy meeting, the central bank said it had decided to hold benchmark overnight interest rates in the zero to 0.25 percent range they reached in December.
After their last meeting on March 17-18, Fed officials had offered no hint the recession was abating and they announced plans to pump an additional $1.15 trillion into the economy. On Wednesday, no new policy actions were announced. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal and Alister Bull)