The Federal Open Market Committee chose patience six weeks after lifting rates for the first time in this cycle. That range was set in September, when officials unanimously approved a quarter-point increase and described activity as expanding at a "solid" pace, the Fed said at the time.
Unanimity did not survive the autumn. Governor Lisa Cook and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack dissented in favor of a quarter-point hike, making two of the 12 voters, CNBC reported.
The chairman used his news conference to describe a procedural shift rather than signal the next move. He has avoided offering explicit forward guidance since taking the job. Futures markets had assigned a slim chance to a hike this week and now point toward tightening at the December meeting, leaving the committee to weigh strong growth, a low unemployment rate and price pressures that economists say have spread beyond energy.