A divided Federal Reserve left its policy rate unchanged for a sixth straight meeting, saying it would wait for more evidence of progress toward its goals while projecting that an increase is still likely by year-end.

With little evidence that the US economy is rebounding after a very weak first quarter, the Federal Reserve is in no position to start raising interest rates for the first time since 2006, a top Fed official said yesterday.

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston president Eric Rosengren, a consistent backer of record stimulus who votes on policy this year, said the Fed refrained from tapering its bond purchases last month because growth was lower than forecast and fiscal policy posed a risk to the outlook.