US markets heaved a brief sigh of relief overnight after the US Federal Reserve announced that it would reinvest the proceeds from maturing mortgage-backed securities into longer-term US government bonds, writes Karen Maley, of Business Spectator.
Ben Bernanke
US staring Japanese-style deflation in the face
, writes Karen Maley, of Business Spectator
Predicting Bernanke’s next move keeps US investors on edge
All eyes will be on US Federal Reserve boss Ben Bernanke when he delivers his semi-annual testimony to US lawmakers on Wednesday, writes Karen Maley from Business Spectator.
US reform guarantees nothing
In a sense it’s a measure of America’s misery that in a new era of deflation and tight credit, it celebrates a Bill that curbs the banks.
Ben Bernanke is nervous … as well he should be
Ben Bernanke, the boss of the powerful US Federal Reserve, is getting anxious. And all indicators say he has cause, writes Karen Maley
Double-dip recession will hurt our miracle economy
While Australia’s public debt levels when compared with the US or many European nations are low, household (or personal) debt - especially mortgage debt - are among the highest globally.
Business As Usual: Kiwis up interest rates … Nigerian scam tied to BP spill … Is the US the new Greece?
Kiwi interest rates up for the first time in three years, leaks out of China have a big say in market performance, Nigerian scammers move on the BP oil spill and other business news.
Morning Market Report: Markets and Wall St rebound
Business confidence hit its highest levels since September 2008 (it wasn’t exactly booming in Sept 2008). Ben Bernanke said his best guess was for a continued economic recovery at a ‘moderate’ pace.
Bernanke’s warning falls on deaf ears
In their current euphoria, American markets believe they are in the midst of a great recovery that will solve all; Americans don’t want to be told that it will take at least the next 10 years for the debt and deficit mountains to be controlled.
Business As Usual: Saving Gunns … billion dollar Toll … where you should live
Time for a bailout, there’s an election in Tasmania and one federally this year and the biggest flashpoint in the state is Gunns’ pulp mill. Plus, paying the toll at Toll and RBA watchers pay attention.
Bernanke and Greece bailout: will it be enough?
The jury is still out as to what effect Ben Bernanke’s re-appointment and Europe’s willingness to bailout Greece will have on global markets.
AIG cover-up will scalp the bigwigs
An avalanche of information is threatening the futures of an ever-growing circle of men involved in what appears to be a cover-up of circumstances surrounding the “bailout” of counterparties to AIG, writes David Hirst.
Improved Volcker plan still doesn’t go hard enough
With the mooting of the Volcker Rule, it appears that finally the Obama Administration is taking the long-awaited stick to Wall Street.
US Fed boss Bernanke: will he stay or will he go?
Sending Fed boss Ben Bernanke packing would see a sell-off in markets (the US dollar would be pummelled, as would US stocks)
Economy gets a free kick by not holding the bull
It has been a very good year to be a bull, with share markets across the world rebounding with incredible haste. The US market is all the more astonishing when compared to 1982, the last significant economic slump.
Ben Bernanke: Wall St’s whipping boy
US Fed chief Ben Bernanke has born the brunt of Americans’ anger over the country’s struggling economy and now looks likely to lose his post as a result. But he’s being unfairly flogged for the sins of others, says Michael Hirsh.
PIIGS won’t fly, but they may float
Gulf States will be forming a common currency, breaking the formal and informal dollar pegs that have controlled the price of oil and kept the petro-dollar recycling mill operating, allowing the US to force its inflationary policies down the Arabs’ throats, writes David Hirst.
Bankers’ value to society? You’ve gotta be kidding
Investment bankers can aid economy growth, but it’s difficult to determine any real value that the average banker provides to society. Especially in comparison to their rampant pay packets.
Ben Bernanke: Time‘s Person of the Year 2009
Time magazine has named US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke as its Person of the Year for 2009, lauding him as “the most powerful nerd on the planet”. Well, at least it wasn’t bloody Twitter.
Fed to be audited as super-nova bubble starts to blow
The US Federal Reserve is an even more mysterious a monster than old Russia, writes Planet Wall Street’s David Hirst, with secret bailouts in the billions of dollars.
Does the US Fed need to be audited and closed?
In that sense the Fed has not failed at all in recent years. Its decisions have been for the benefit of its ultimate masters — US commercial banks; not the US taxpayers. They just pay the bills.
Interest rates a dilemma for Fed Reserve
The financial markets are becoming fixated on US interest rates, the Federal Reserve, inflation, Ben Bernanke and their impact on the US dollar, which is no longer the fall guy for easy investment decisions.
Interest rates on US agenda as job figures improve
Interest rates rises have returned to the American political and business agenda, hurried on by the huge improvement in US unemployment in November.
Bartholomeusz: Go west! Where Europe’s skies are blue
Europe is figuring out exit paths for all their emergency economic measures taken during the GFC. The US isn’t and they need to learn from Europe: less short term profits, more long term stability, writes Stephen Bartholomeuz.
Bernanke faces filibuster ahead of Fed confirmation vote
Will Ben Bernanke score a second term as chairman of the US Fed? The tenuous ties that bind Washington to Wall Street are being stretched to the breaking point, writes David Hirst.
