NEW YORK – Everything according to forecasts: the Federal Reserve, the US central bank, has increased interest rates by half a point, bringing the discount rate to 6 percent and the Federal fund to 6.5 percent, the level highest in the last 9 years. Once again, the Fed notes that other increases may also be needed to avoid inflationary risks. And this new touch-up of half a point comes after five increases (all from a quarter of a point) that have occurred since June ’99. This means that, in the last eleven months, the total increase was 1.75 percent. A decision, taken today unanimously by the Federal Reserve board, under the chairmanship of Alan Greenspan, widely announced. And that comes precisely on the day in which the April figures on inflation in the United States were released. Figures that show how the price level remained unchanged compared to March, after 11 months of increases and above all after two consecutive months of substantial leaps: those that made the Fed raise its guard, reviving inflationary concerns. And we come to the reactions of the markets. In Italy, despite the highly anticipated increase, the Mibtel at 17.30 closed the negotiations in decidedly higher: more than 1.73 percent. In the afterhours, on its second day of life, the incisiveness of overseas decisions was contained, and the Mibtes index remained on the threshold of stability. Wall Street, still in full swing at the time of the decision of the US Central Bank, has slightly fallen back, then moved on.