Investors worry rate cut won't be enough to avert US slump
AFP Jan 30, 08 7:49 AM CST
(Newser)
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European stocks followed declines in Asian markets as news of more subprime woes overshadowed an anticipated 50 basis point rate cut from the Federal Reserve and some positive economic data from the US, AFP reports. London’s FTSE 100 was down 0.85%, the Paris CAC was off 1.54%, Frankfort’s DAX 30 dipped 0.67% and the Euro Stoxx 50 was off 0.80%.
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MARKETS
Good news comes late in the day as rate-cut hopes persist
CNN Jan 29, 08 3:43 PM CST
(Newser)
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Stocks rose for a second straight session today thanks to a late rally. Flagging techs dragged down the markets initially, but then got a boost from a cheerful report on durable goods orders on the first day of the Fed meeting, reports CNNMoney. The Dow climbed 96.41 to 12,480.30, the Nasdaq 8.15 to 2,358.06, and the S&P 8.33 to 1,362.30
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MARKETS
Investors look for grim housing numbers to lead to a cut
MarketWatch Jan 28, 08 3:48 PM CST
(Newser)
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Stocks finished in positive territory today, riding hopes that grim new housing numbers will lead the Fed to cut interest rates this week. "The main event for the week will be the Fed-rate decision on Wednesday," a strategist tells MarketWatch. The Dow was up 176.72 to 12,383.89, the Nasdaq 23.71 to 2,349.91, and the S&P 23.36 to 1,353.97.
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Fed meets Wednesday to decide if another rate cut is needed right now
Wall Street Journal Jan 24, 08 9:29 AM CST
(Newser)
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The Fed’s emergency three-quarter percentage-point cut Tuesday to the short-term interest rate was a boon to US markets, but whether the Fed will go lower in its interest-rate lambada remains to be seen. Most analysts expect a half-point cut, to 3%, at the Fed's meeting Wednesday, reports the Wall Street Journal; some see the possibility of another three-quarters.
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OPINION
Decision smacks
of panic—and worse trouble yet to come
Reuters Jan 23, 08 10:13 AM CST
(Newser)
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Yesterday's steep interest rate cut—just a week ahead of a scheduled policy meeting—made the staid Federal Reserve come across as spooked and jumpy, leaving many to wonder if the Fed knows of worse news to come, Reuters' Ros Krasny writes. The surprise .75-point cut "is a declaration of a state of emergency for the US markets and the economy," a market strategist said.
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MARKETS
Markets decline, but emergency rate cut moderates effect
MarketWatch Jan 22, 08 3:38 PM CST
(Newser)
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Stocks declined today but ended the session up from the depths of their initial plunge, as the Fed's emergency rate cut seemed to calm freaked-out investors. "This at least gets people from piling in on the short side of things," one strategist told MarketWatch. The Dow fell 128.11 to 11,971.19, the Nasdaq 47.75 to 2,292.27, and the S&P 14.69 to 1,310.50.
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Fast, temporary stimulus would buoy flagging economy, Fed chief tells Congress
CNN Jan 17, 08 10:50 AM CST
(Newser)
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The country needs a federal stimulus package ASAP, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told the House Budget Committee today, advocating immediate legislation designed “so its effects on aggregate spending are felt as much as possible within the next 12 months.” But he said the package should be “explicitly temporary,” to avoid unwanted long-term stimulus and an undue deficit bulge, CNNMoney reports.
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Fed chief wants aid package that's quick and temporary
New York Times Jan 16, 08 7:51 PM CST
(Newser)
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Ben Bernanke insists he won’t take sides in a congressional fray over how to revive the nation’s flat-lining economy. But the Fed chief says he will support an economic stimulus package—be it GOP tax cuts or Democrats' increased spending—as long as it is quick and temporary, the New York Times reports. Lawmakers are scrambling to devise ways to ward off a recession, and Bernanke testifies before a House panel tomorrow.
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MARKETS
Some wonder if Fed might offer rate cut before month's end
Wall Street Journal Jan 16, 08 3:42 PM CST
(Newser)
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Stocks ended slightly down today partly in response to falling oil prices, which could provide a possible jump-start for consumer spending, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Considering that oil was near $100 not too long ago, this is a big move," one trader said. The Dow ended down 34.95 to 12,466.16, the Nasdaq 23.00 to 2,394.59, and the S&P 7.75 to 1,373.20.
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Disappointing holiday sales fuel slowdown verging on recession
Bloomberg Jan 16, 08 2:34 PM CST
(Newser)
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The Federal Reserve's regional business survey—released today, ahead of chief Ben Bernanke's appearance tomorrow before Congress—shows economic activity increasing more slowly, thanks to "disappointing" holiday sales. Some analysts think the survey—nicknamed the Beige Book—is evidence for a general economic slowdown, reports Bloomberg. "We are pretty much on the knife's edge'' of a recession, says one economist.
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Fed hopes to thwart troubled markets, unemployment
Wall Street Journal Jan 10, 08 1:30 PM CST
(Newser)
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The Federal Reserve may make "substantive" cuts to interest rates later this month in the face of rising economic difficulties, Ben Bernanke said today. Citing troubled financial markets and rising unemployment, the Fed chairman implied that it might drop its target short-term interest rate by .5% from 4.25%. “We stand ready to take substantive additional action as needed to support growth,” Bernanke said.
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Wall Street's top firm sees two unhappy quarters ahead
NPR Jan 10, 08 12:31 PM CST
(Newser)
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Goldman Sachs is predicting that the economy will slide into a recession this year—which has Wall Street worried, because Goldman’s been right about everything else. The investment firm forecasts a mild pullback extending over two quarters, driving up already-growing unemployment. “If we don't get job growth we don't get income growth, we don't get consumer spending, and we do get a recession,” another firm’s economist told NPR.
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Weak jobs data makes Fed action likely
Wall Street Journal Jan 4, 08 9:03 AM CST
(Newser)
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The labor market took a hit in December, with the jobless rate hitting a two-year high and payroll increases falling well short of predictions. Nonfarm payrolls rose just 18,000, much less than both November’s 115,000 and the 50,000 prognosticators expected. The gloomy numbers increase the odds that the Fed will cut rates for the fourth straight time later this month, the Wall Street Journal reports.
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