Janet Yellen kept the Federal Reserve on course for a further interest rate rise in March in her final meeting as chair of the central bank, with the inflation outlook strengthening and America’s jobs market continuing to heat up.

The Federal Open Market Committee held its target range for the federal funds rate unchanged at 1.25 to 1.5 per cent, as widely expected, while giving an upbeat assessment of the economy’s recent performance and stressing “further” rate rises lie ahead.

The committee upgraded its near-term outlook for inflation, saying it expected year-on-year readings to “move up this year” before stabilising around its 2 per cent goal in the medium term. Expectations for inflation in financial markets have risen in recent months, even if they remain low, the central bank said.