The Federal Reserve continued its campaign to raise interest rates at its first policy meeting under its new chairman, Ben Bernanke. As expected, the Fed bumped up its benchmark short-term interest rate another quarter point to 4.75 percent the 15th straight increase. The Fed also said that 'some further policy firming may be needed' to fend off inflation, because low unemployment and high energy costs still threaten to push prices up. Leading analysts said the central bank would probably bump up the rate once more in May before taking a breather.<br/><br/><a href='http://www.estreetloans.com/cgi-bin/teemz.cgi?board=_master&action=opentopic&topic=5&forum=Interest_Rates_'>Discuss this article in our Discussion Groups</a><br/><a href='http://www.estreetloans.com/request.jsp'>Refinance Today Before Rate Go Up Again! - Click Here Now</a>