Top Stories: Federal Reserve Slashes Interest Rate to Near Zero Posted on December 17, 2008December 17, 2008 by Your Financial FactSheet Elliot and Seager:- Fed Funds Rate Reduced to 0.25%Guardian.co.uk: The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates in the United States last night to 0.25% – the lowest level in the nation’s 232-year-history – and signalled new emergency steps to boost lending as it sought to lift the world’s biggest economy out of a deepening recession. Inflation down 0.3% Jamaica Gleaner: Consumer prices fell in November in line with falling oil prices on the world market. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined from 136.9 to 136.4, reflecting inflation of -0.3 per cent.