The US Federal Reserve has vowed to continue buying 85 billion dollars in bonds every month. It will also hold interest rates near zero until unemployment falls to at least 6.5 percent.

The central bank made the announcement, noting that the country's economic growth had "paused" in recent months. The decision to continue the stimulus measures follows a two-day meeting and had been widely expected, especially after a surprising decline in US economic growth.

Earlier, the government announced that the country's GDP unexpectedly suffered its first decline since the 2007-09 recession, falling at a 0.1 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter.