The Federal Reserve on Tuesday affirmed its plan to stop buying mortgage-backed securities, expressing a degree of confidence that it could eliminate that pillar of support without undermining the nation’s economic recovery.

The move came as the Fed voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged, at nearly zero percent, citing evidence of economic weakness and little sign of inflation.

The Fed’s purchases of mortgage-backed securities, which will total $1.25 trillion and end March 31, have helped hold mortgage rates to near-record lows, and the Fed left open the possibility that the purchases might have to be resumed, particularly if the housing recovery stalls.

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