Federal Reserve policy makers left open the door to raisinginterest rates in June by nodding to improvement in globalfinancial markets and downplaying recent weakness in the U.S.economy.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) omitted previouslanguage that “global economic and financial developments continueto pose risks,” instead saying officials will “closely monitor” theworld situation, according to a statement released Wednesdayfollowing a two-day meeting in Washington. The Fed left itsbenchmark interest rate unchanged.

“Their removal of the line on risks is pretty significant,” saidCarl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust Corp. in Chicagoand a former Fed official. “That might reflect increased comfort onthe committee that global influences appear more manageable.”