US Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke to 'maintain stimulus'

The US Federal Reserve has decided to maintain its economic stimulus scheme at the current level, despite speculation that it would start scaling it back.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said: "The Committee decided to await more evidence that the recovery's progress will be sustained before adjusting the pace of asset purchases."

The US central bank has been buying $85bn worth of debt every month, to keep interest rates low.