Federal Reserve

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Economists See Rising Risk of Recession

Nearly all in survey say Fed must take strong action, cut rates

(Newser) - Economists are painting a bleak picture of the US economy next year, with the housing mess, reduced job growth, and rising unemployment putting the likelihood of recession at its highest level in three years, the Wall Street Journal reports. Nearly all the economists surveyed by the paper said the Fed...

Stocks Up on Rate Cut Hopes
Stocks Up on Rate Cut Hopes
MARKETS

Stocks Up on Rate Cut Hopes

Investors keep their eye on tomorrow's Fed actions

(Newser) - Stocks kept climbing today as investors held out for a nearly certain rate cut at tomorrow's Fed meeting. A positive housing report and mostly good news from financials also helped keep things bullish. "Everybody is paying attention to tomorrow's rate" cut, a trader told the Wall Street Journal. The...

Good News Rallies Markets
Good News Rallies Markets
MARKETS

Good News Rallies Markets

Sunny economic stats and hope for a rate cut give stocks a boost

(Newser) - Stocks took off today in response to cheerful economic data and rising hopes for a Dec. 11 rate cut from the Fed. Government reports showed an increase in productivity and an unexpected jump in hiring, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow was up 196.23 to 13,444.96,...

Stocks Fall on Credit Worries
Stocks Fall on Credit Worries
MARKETS

Stocks Fall on Credit Worries

JPMorgan says earnings will drop at big brokerages

(Newser) - Stocks fell again today after JPMorgan Chase predicted that profits would drop at big brokerages. Meanwhile, lower oil prices lowered earning prospects for energy companies, reports Bloomberg. "Until credit loosens up, you can't get a solid footing in the market," says a manager. The Dow was down 65....

Washington Takes Aim at Credit Cards

Lawmakers vow to tackle rate hikes, reform arcane fee system

(Newser) - Dem lawmakers vow to finally rein in credit card companies after years of consumer complaints, the Washington Post reports. They want lenders to scrap random rate hikes and inscrutable fees, and plan to tackle it in a hearing next week; one rep has already drawn up legislation. But industry lobbyists...

Techs Put Damper on Optimism
Techs Put Damper on Optimism
MARKETS

Techs Put Damper on Optimism

Dell's struggles narrow Bernanke boost

(Newser) - The markets closed up today on rumors of a coming interest rate cut, but bad news in the tech sector limited gains. The Dow climbed 59.99 points to 13,371.72, but only after a negative forecast from Dell erased a sizable morning rally. The S&P 500 climbed...

Bernanke Hints at Rate Cut
Bernanke Hints at Rate Cut

Bernanke Hints at Rate Cut

Fed chief expresses concern about housing, financial markets

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke signaled tonight that the Fed is ready to cut interest rates again to help the struggling economy, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed chief said the nation's housing troubles and its offshoots are straining the economy and financial markets and will "create some headwinds for the...

Dow Jumps 331 on Fed Hopes
Dow Jumps 331 on Fed Hopes
MARKETS

Dow Jumps 331 on Fed Hopes

Stronger dollar and respite from bad news on financials keeps market bouncing

(Newser) - Stocks were way up today—the Dow by over 300 points—buoyed by hopes for a Fed interest-rate cut, good news from beleaguered financials, and a stronger dollar. Remarks by Vice Chairman Donald Kohn led investors to believe the Fed is still considering a cut, the Wall Street Journal reports....

Stocks Rebound After Correction
Stocks Rebound After Correction
MARKETS

Stocks Rebound After Correction

Cash for Citigroup, lower oil prices help rally

(Newser) - Stocks bounced back today after yesterday's correction with help from an injection of cash for Citigroup and lower oil prices. "The market isn't up on a cheerful consumer—it's oversold and looking to bounce," an analyst tells the Wall Street Journal. The Dow was up 215.00 to...

Credit Woes Wipe Out Bounce
Credit Woes Wipe Out Bounce
MARKETS

Credit Woes Wipe Out Bounce

Black Friday upswing crushed by the financial sector

(Newser) - Credit worries wiped out the market's bounce from Black Friday today as the Dow plunged well over 200 points. The financial sector led the dive. "Until the financials bounce back the market's not going to be in a great place," one trader tells the Wall Street Journal. The...

Feds Seize Ron Paul 'Dollars'
Feds Seize Ron Paul 'Dollars'

Feds Seize Ron Paul 'Dollars'

Candidate and 'sound money' advocate's image on 60,000 coins

(Newser) - Federal agents raided the Indiana headquarters of a so-called "sound money" group this week, seizing nearly 60,000 "Ron Paul Dollars"—copper coins bearing the likeness of the renegade Texan congressman, GOP candidate for president and sound-money advocate. The organization has more than $20 million in illegal...

Dow Up After Roller-Coaster Day
Dow Up After Roller-Coaster Day
MARKETS

Dow Up After Roller-Coaster Day

Bad news doesn't halt rally; markets end week up

(Newser) - The major indexes closed up today after erratic trading as bad news on industrial production and new negative forecasts failed to halt an end-of-week rally. The Dow gained 66.74 to 13,176.79, the Nasdaq climbed 18.73 to 2,637.24, and the S&P 500 closed at...

Inflation Still in Check as Housing Offsets Energy

Housing slump offsets energy rise to keep CPI down

(Newser) - Consumer prices saw only modest gains last month, welcome news for inflation watchers with an eye on rising oil prices and a dropping dollar. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.3%, in lockstep with analysts' estimates. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2%. Year-over-year, the increases were...

Bernanke Ups Fed Transparency
Bernanke Ups Fed Transparency

Bernanke Ups Fed Transparency

Extra reports to give investors clearer picture

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve will issue more detailed reports  twice as often, Ben Bernanke announced today. Starting next Tuesday, the Fed will release projections for inflation, GDP, and unemployment four times a year, accompanied by a “narrative” telling investors what the Fed is thinking. Bernanke also said he’d be...

Mortgage Rates Drop to 5-Month Low
Mortgage Rates Drop
to 5-Month Low

Mortgage Rates Drop to 5-Month Low

Analysts attribute dip to slackening economy

(Newser) - Rates for 30-year fixed mortgages have slipped for the third week in a row. The dip to 6.24% is the lowest level since May. Mortgage rates have been falling across the board over the last week, which analysts attribute to the slackening economy. The drop follows the Fed's cut...

Bernanke Sees Q4 Slowdown
Bernanke Sees Q4 Slowdown

Bernanke Sees Q4 Slowdown

Fed chief sees economy as 'resilient' but growth slow through this quarter

(Newser) - Economic growth will slow "noticeably" through the end of the year and into 2008, Fed chief Ben Bernanke said in prepared testimony for a congressional panel today. Bernanke called the economy "resilient," but said the housing slump will intensify before it's over, the Wall Street Journal reports....

Stocks Plummet; Dow Off 362
Stocks Plummet; Dow Off 362

Stocks Plummet; Dow Off 362

Rate-cut concerns, and plain old bad news, hit Wall Street hard

(Newser) - Stocks turned sharply downward today—including a 362-point plunge by the Dow—on concerns over yesterday's Fed rate cut and bad news from Exxon Mobil and Citigroup. The cut led to "nervousness that there's another shoe to drop," a analyst told the Wall Street Journal. The Dow was...

Fed Pitches $41B Into Market
Fed Pitches $41B Into Market

Fed Pitches $41B Into Market

Cash pump meant to keep markets moving

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve followed up yesterday’s quarter-percent interest rate cut with a $41 billion cash injection into the US financial system today—one the biggest infusions of money yet, aimed directly at easing the credit crunch. The money was pumped into temporary reserves, where it's meant to lubricate turbulent...

Early Stock Dive Wipes Out Fed-Rate Rally

Dow tumbles by more than 250 points in early trading

(Newser) - Stock fell sharply at the opening today, wiping out yesterday's rally spurred by the Fed's rate cut. The Dow was down by over 250 points in early trading, spurred by several bits of bad news, including an Exxon earnings plunge and a Citigroup downgrade. But the Wall Street Journal speculates...

Stocks Up on Fed's Rate Cut
Stocks Up on Fed's Rate Cut

Stocks Up on Fed's Rate Cut

Exxon and Microsoft also lift the markets

(Newser) - Stocks rose today on the heels of the Fed's quarter-point cut of a key interest rate and good news about the GDP. "The Fed may be done here," a Boston strategist told Bloomberg. "We don't need them anymore, and the market is taking consolation in that."...

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