'The end of an era': Industry reacts to Fed rate rise

Following first US rate hike since 2006

Industry commentators have responded to today's rate hike by the Federal Reserve, which was widely expected by markets.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) raised interest rates by 0.25% today for the first time in nearly a decade, sending the US dollar soaring. The committee voted unanimously to hike interest rates, in a move that marks the first time the Federal Funds Rate has moved from the record lows of 0%-0.25% since the darkest days of the financial crisis in December 2008. In its statement, the FOMC said: "The committee judges that there has been considerable improvement in labor market conditions this year, and it is reasonably confident that inflation will rise, over the medium term, to ...