(Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said nextweek’s referendum in the U.K. on whether to remain in theEuropean Union was a factor in the U.S. central bank’sdecision to hold interest rates steady at its meeting Wednesday inWashington.

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“It is a decision that could have consequences for economic andfinancial conditions in global financial markets,” Yellen saidduring a press conference following the meeting. A vote on June 23by Britons to leave the EU “could have consequences in turn for theU.S. economic outlook,” she said.

Growing worries over a potential British exit have roiledfinancial markets, sending stocks lower around the globe in thepast week, pushing investors into safe havens like German bonds andU.S. Treasuries, and weakening the pound. Five opinion pollspublished this week showed “Leave” supporters ahead.

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew last week warned ofrepercussions to the global economy, while Bank of England GovernorMark Carney said a vote to exit might lead to a recession in theU.K.

The BOE has begun a series of extra market operations aimed atboosting bank funding around the referendum. European Central BankGoverning Council member Ilmars Rimsevics said last week the bankis prepared to offer euro liquidity.

The U.K. joined the European Economic Community, a predecessorbody to the EU, in 1973. It has the second-largest national economywithin the 28-member group, behind Germany.

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