The US Fed has dramatically changed its language: it now says inflation is too low. No wonder the Federal Open Market Committee’s hand wringing has become more urgent, more fretful.
US Federal Reserve
The bull to blink first
In recent months, we’ve witnessed a huge stand-off between the bond markets and equity markets, writes Karen Maley of Business Spectator.
A square Fed in a round Hole
US Federal Reserve boss Ben Bernanke will choose his words very carefully in his opening address to the Fed’s annual meeting, writes Karen Maley of Business Spectator
US Federal Reserve to hear just how lucky we are in Oz
Gloom will be the order of the day at the US Federal Reserve because the meeting will be looking at the global outlook, which has, well, got gloomier in the past two weeks.
Goldman’s glass half empty
Talk of a double-dip in the US economy is no longer confined to the mutterings of super bears in dark alleys, writes Karen Maley of Business Spectator
Bernanke’s baby steps towards an easing program
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.
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.
Business As Usual: Market snubs Stokes’ China bank deal … Kiwi economy grows … Fed recovery watch …
Investors gave Kerry Stokes’ deal to buy shares in China’s Agricultural Bank a very decisive thumbs down yesterday. Also, New Zealand’s economy grows, the US Federal Reserve’s recovery caution and other business news.
Business As Usual: James Murdoch on the rise … Our GDP at its peak …
James Murdoch rise in the global corporate world continues unabated, Australia’s GDP has never been higher and w here to for the ASX after querying Gunns, Toll Holdings and Nufarm about their lack of timely and adequate disclosure about very large falls in profit?
US economy: let the grubby dash for cash begin
US President Barack Obama’s announcement that he will close loopholes that let finance firms trade risky products will generate an orgy of spending on elections and lobbying from the banks.
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.
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.
Bernanke under fire
US Fed chief Ben Bernanke is currently appearing in front of the Senate to defend his troubled record in office and argue for a second term. Should he shoulder the responsibility for the Fed’s role in the global financial crisis?
US Fed bosses: record-low rates to stay for a while
In the US, four Federal Reserve board members have tried to explain to Americans that while the economy is definitely recovering, it’s not really doing so in the conventional sense.
Is the US Fed about to get neutered?
US Democrat senators are looking to overhaul the country’s financial system, stripping the Federal Reserve of its supervisory powers and creating three new agencies to protect consumers and police banks. You can read the whole proposed Bill here.
Political economy: US Fed says we’re saved
The US Fed says economic activity has picked up… but household spending is sluggish, interest rates will remain the same, and the economy is still shedding jobs. No surprises here, says Henry Thornton.
Fed’s Thursday statement the key to US concerns
Forrget China, South Korea, and even Japan: when it comes to confidence in the global financial system, the world remains firmly coupled to the US.
New rules for bailed-out bankers revealed
The US Treasury and Federal Reserve have announced their new rules on executive pay at big and bailed-out banks: many will have their salaries capped at $500,000, total compensation will be cut by 50%, and cash guarantees will be restructured as stock.
The invisible hand of power: how the Federal Reserve keeps economists silent
The US Federal Reserve’s network of influential and powerful scholars, economists and consultants has the country’s economists too scared to make any real criticisms of the central bank, a Huffington Post investigation has found.
The Dyer index: of Feds, markets, moods and oil
So the US economy is levelling out, according to the US Federal Reserve, and that justifies a 50% plus surge in stockmarkets? Let’s crunch the numbers.
Bernanke’s hidden warning on US economy
Early reports on Fed chairman Ben Bernanke’s speech overnight ignored his warnings over continued sluggish growth in the recession-hit US.
