Most meeting participants "judged that the conditions for policy firming had not yet been achieved, but they noted that conditions were approaching that point," according to minutes of the July 28-29 Federal Open Market Committee session, released Wednesday in Washington.

A headline on the minutes was inadvertently released by Bloomberg 24 minutes before a 2 p.m. embargo set by the Fed.

The details come four weeks before the Fed's September meeting, when most economists forecast the central bank will raise its benchmark interest rate for the first time since 2006. Policy makers say a decision to raise rates will hinge on continued improvement in the labor market and confidence that inflation will move higher.