Janet Yellen: The woman behind an historic US rate decision

Even for a woman steeped in economics her entire professional career, the recent move to raise interest rates was a bold one, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

She is a year short of her 70s, with a severe bob of silver-white hair and a flat Brooklyn accent.

Janet Yellen also happens to be the head of America’s central bank, the Federal Reserve and last week, she gave the go-ahead for the first rise in US interest rates since 2006.