Federal Reserve chairman Janet Yellen and her fellow economists – spooked by a slowdown in China and its impact on global markets in August – have decided to keep rates grounded at their historic lows in the US.

While the Fed has left the door very much open for a hike at any meeting from October onwards, the decision to hold off for now has left the markets to digest a mixed message from economic policymakers and once again indulge in guessing games as to the timing of a rise in rates.