Federal Reserve – News Stories About Federal Reserve - Page 33

MARKETS

Mar 12, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Stocks Rally, Flatten, End Down

Oil hitting $110-a-barrel mark sure doesn't help; hopes of another rate cut rise

(Newser) - Markets shot up early today, then flattened out and ended down as record oil and gas prices put a damper on things. Per-barrel oil prices hit $110.20 before landing at $109.92, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow ended down 46.57 to 12,110.24, the Nasdaq...

Wow! Dow Climbs 400 Points

MARKETS

Mar 11, 2008 3:55 PM CDT

Wow! Dow Climbs 400 Points

Fed's plan sends stocks roaring

(Newser) - The Fed's plan to ease the credit crisis sent stocks roaring today; by the closing bell, the Dow was up by more than 400 points. Financials led the way, reports the Wall Street Journal, with massive gains by Citigroup and American Express. The Dow closed up 416.66 at 12,...

Fed Pours $200B Into Global Credit Relief Push

Mar 11, 2008 10:15 AM CDT

Fed Pours $200B Into Global Credit Relief Push

Central banks around the world try to ease liquidity problem

(Newser) - The Fed will inject huge quantities of cash into financial markets as part of a coordinated global attack on the credit crisis, Ben Bernanke announced today. The central bank will loan out another $200 billion, this time on a 28-day basis rather than overnight, the AP reports. The effort will...

Dow Falls 146, Sinks Below 12K

MARKETS

Mar 7, 2008 4:19 PM CST

Dow Falls 146, Sinks Below 12K

'A darned good imitation' of a recession

(Newser) - The markets seesawed and ultimately saw losses today as news of a bank boost by the Fed couldn't outweigh the Labor Department's grim February jobs report. The Dow lost 146.70, closing at 11,893.69, and the S&P 500 fell 10.97 to 1,293.37. The Nasdaq...

Fed Pumps Money Into Reeling Banks

Mar 7, 2008 12:02 PM CST

Fed Pumps Money Into Reeling Banks

It will loan billions more this month to ease credit crisis

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve will lend more money to banks in March in a bid to ease the worsening credit crisis, Bloomberg reports. By dramatically increasing the funds available in two upcoming auctions—from $30 billion to $50 billion—the Fed hopes to convince banks to loosen up and lend more.

US Sees Worst Decline
in Jobs Since 2003

Mar 7, 2008 7:58 AM CST

US Sees Worst Decline in Jobs Since 2003

Payrolls dropped by 63,000; recession fears intensify

(Newser) - The US lost 63,000 jobs in February, the second straight month payrolls contracted and the worst drop since 2003, catching economists off guard and fanning fears of recession anew, Bloomberg reports. Economists hoped the economy would add 23,000 jobs after declining a modest 17,000 in January, when...

Asian Stock Markets Dive

Mar 7, 2008 6:07 AM CST

Asian Stock Markets Dive

US credit crisis has investors in Asian markets hedging their bets

(Newser) - Japan’s Nikkei fell 3.3% and Australia’s S&P/ASX2000 dropped 3.2% as woeful US economic news—including rising foreclosures, worsening homeowner debt and impending credit defaults—sent Asian markets reeling, the Associated Press reports. Investors also worried that a key jobs report to be released this morning...

Feds Boost Mortgage Limits

Mar 6, 2008 6:10 PM CST

Feds Boost Mortgage Limits

Ceiling on loans backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac goes to $729K in 70 counties

(Newser) - Government-backed mortgage guarantors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can now back loans up to $729,750, the Wall Street Journal reports, after the Federal Housing Administration put into effect that provision of the federal economic stimulus package today. More than 70 counties in the US are subject to the new...

Stocks Recover After Big Losses

MARKETS

Mar 4, 2008 3:49 PM CST

Stocks Recover After Big Losses

Talk of Ambac bailout leads to late rally

(Newser) - News of an impending bailout for bond insurer Ambac helped the markets recover from steep losses and end today's session down only slightly, MarketWatch reports. Down by 200 points at 2:30, the Dow closed only 45.10 down, ending at 12,213.80. The Nasdaq rose 1.68 to...

Wall Street Faults Rules
on Writedowns

Mar 1, 2008 12:09 PM CST

Wall Street Faults Rules on Writedowns

Critics say accounting rules exaggerate losses, hinder market

(Newser) - After months of staggering writedowns battering Wall Street, some investors and executives are charging that accounting rules are exaggerating losses and triggering slumps like yesterday’s 315-point plunge in the Dow, reports the Wall Street Journal. Rules requiring companies to value holdings at current market rates, no matter how volatile,...

Consumer Spending Stalls Again

Feb 29, 2008 12:03 PM CST

Consumer Spending Stalls Again

Confidence is falling as inflation rises

(Newser) - Consumer spending rose more than expected in January—but only because prices did so as well, Bloomberg reports. Adjusted for inflation, spending remained flat for the second straight month. With fuel costs rising, banks restricting loans, and property values falling, “consumers are clearly hard-pressed to maintain their standard of...

Stocks Tumble on Weak Data

MARKETS

Feb 28, 2008 3:56 PM CST

Stocks Tumble on Weak Data

Dow drops 112 points on sluggish growth, rising jobless claims

(Newser) - Stocks fell more than they had in a week today amid reports of sluggish economic growth, rising jobless claims, and fears of failing banks, Bloomberg reports. The Dow fell 112.10 points to 12,582.18, the Nasdaq fell 22.21 points to 2,331.57, and the S&P...

Despite Fed, Silicon Valley Bullish on Economy

Feb 27, 2008 5:31 PM CST

Despite Fed, Silicon Valley Bullish on Economy

Many tech workers not seeing US slump

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke’s report to Congress on monetary policy offered a grim outlook on the economy, but ABC News sees some signs that good news may be around the corner: workers in Silicon Valley, a national economic bellwether, feel good about their prospects. Rising exports, the recently-passed stimulus package and...

Bernanke Signals New Rate Cuts

Feb 27, 2008 9:15 AM CST

Bernanke Signals New Rate Cuts

Says central bank 'will act as needed' to further minimize economic risks

(Newser) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke today said that the board stands ready to cut interest rates again to give the economy "adequate insurance against downside risks," reports the Wall Street Journal. The move, which follows 2.25% in cuts to the key rate since September, is widely expected...

Economists Lean Closer
to the R-Word

Feb 25, 2008 7:09 PM CST

Economists Lean Closer to the R-Word

Almost half on US panel predict recession, up from 25% last year

(Newser) - An panel of US economists leaned closer to predicting recession today after grappling with a slew of scary data, the AP reports. More than half of analysts at the National Association for Business Economics maintained that a downturn is still unlikely, but 45% expected recession in 2008; only a quarter...

Fed Sees Slower Growth, Higher Unemployment

Feb 20, 2008 6:58 PM CST

Fed Sees Slower Growth, Higher Unemployment

Reserve officials sharply reduce economic forecast

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve issued a bleak assessment of the economy today, predicting weak growth and rising unemployment this year. Fed officials expect the economy to grow between 1.3% and 2% in 2008, the slowest in five years, the New York Times reports. A separate report today showed consumer prices...

Market Up After Seesaw Session

MARKETS

Feb 20, 2008 3:45 PM CST

Market Up After Seesaw Session

Investors shrug off inflation; sluggish growth seen

(Newser) - The Dow rose 90.04 points to 12,427.26 today in roller-coaster trading despite rising fears of inflation, MarketWatch reports. US consumer prices rose 0.4% last month in what one investment officer called “a nagging problem for the Fed.” The Nasdaq climbed 20.90 to 2,...

Inflation Spikes, Cut in Jeopardy

Feb 20, 2008 9:04 AM CST

Inflation Spikes, Cut in Jeopardy

Fed may have hands tied, as CPI soars past expectations

(Newser) - Core inflation bounded ahead of expectations in January, which is bad news for anyone betting on a big rate cut from the Fed–and for the Fed itself. The consumer price index rose 0.4%, with core CPI rising 0.3%, putting the year-over-year figures at 4.3% and 2....

Fed Quietly Loans Billions
to US Banks

Feb 19, 2008 11:10 AM CST

Fed Quietly Loans Billions to US Banks

New program opens floodgates for short-term funds

(Newser) - US banks, struggling with liquidity and hesitant to lend to each other in the wake of the subprime crisis, have hit up the Fed for nearly $50 billion, the Financial Times reports. The loans, issued under a 2-month-old program that, one analyst says, lets them "borrow money against all...

Consumer Sentiment Nosedives

Feb 15, 2008 11:10 AM CST

Consumer Sentiment Nosedives

Economic reports continue to fan recession fears

(Newser) - The last time consumers were this pessimistic, the country was in the midst of recession. The consumer confidence index is at a level not seen since February 1992, according to Reuters/University of Michigan numbers out today, and "has only been this low during the recessions of the mid 1970s,...