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NEWS ABOUT: interest rate

Fed Remains Open to More Rate Cuts

Minutes from last meeting display growing concern about markets

(Newser) - Fed officials will consider deeper rate cuts and a "substantial further easing of policy" if the turmoil in the credit and housing markets continues, according to minutes of last month's meeting. Officials displayed surprise at the extent of the housing crisis and acknowledged that market strains "could persist... More »

Fed OKs Quarter-Point Cut

Federal funds figure drops for 3rd month

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve cut two key interest rates at this afternoon's meeting, lopping a quarter-point off both the federal funds rate and the discount rate. The federal funds rate now stands at 4.25%, which represents a drop of 100 basis points over the past 3 months, the Wall Street ... More »

Some Critics of Rate Freeze May Be Angry Investors

FDIC chief speculates that investors are blasting the plan to boost their income

(Newser) - Critics of the government’s new rescue plan for strapped homeowners may be investors who would cash in on a foreclosure-ridden market, one of the plan’s chief architects charges. Sheila Blair, head of the FDIC, speculated that naysayers may have a conflict of interest, the Wall Street Journal reports.... More »

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... More »

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... More »

Arnie Teams With 4 Lenders to Hold Off Foreclosures

Governator brokers deal to keep subprime mortgage at inital rates

(Newser) - Four big lenders in California have agreed to extend low-interest mortgage rates to homeowners on the brink of foreclosure, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The lenders worked with Gov. Schwarzenegger on the deal, which will apply to subprime borrowers who have made payments on time so far but will be... More »

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... More »

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... More »

Fed Slashes Key Interest Rate Another Quarter-Point

Board signals further cuts are no sure thing

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve cut its key lending rate today by 25 basis points, to 4.5%. The expected reduction is the second of the federal funds rate in two months. The board asserted, however, that growth and inflation risks are now “roughly balanced,” a signal that further cuts... More »

Fed Doubts Drive Stocks Down

Consumer confidence report, Procter & Gamble forecasts are drags on markets

(Newser) - Stocks closed down today as confidence that the Fed will cut interest rates tomorrow faded. The Journal reported that policymakers are considering no cut at all, meaning borrowing costs may stay high. The Dow slipped 77.79 to 13,792.47, the S&P 500 was down 9.96 to... More »

Fed Doesn't Want Rate Cut— But Markets Do

And they're expecting it. Bernanke's hands tied as Fed meets today

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke and the rest of the Fed are meeting today to decide whether to cut interest rates again after September's surprise half-point reduction. Bernanke has made it clear that he'd rather not drop rates again. But, as Bloomberg writes, he might not have much of a choice: with home... More »

Housing Starts Plummet to 14-Year Low

But modest consumer price hike soothes inflation fears

(Newser) - New homes starts fell to their lowest level in 14 years last month, plunging 10%—to an annualized rate of 1.191 million—after expectations of a 4.2% decline. The number followed a 3.2% drop in August, the Wall Street Journal reports. A homebuilders' confidence gauge registered its... More »

Housing Still a Drag: Fed Chief

Setbacks likely, says Bernanke, who offers no hints on interest rate status

(Newser) - The real estate slump will continue to be a "significant drag" on US economic growth well into next year, said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in his first speech on the economy since August. Recovery from the credit crisis will take time, and setbacks are likely, Bernanke told the... More »

Economy Slows, Stocks Surge: What Gives?

'Teflon investors' are relying on the good news

(Newser) - Stocks are surging while classic indicators are signaling slump — so what gives? The answer, reports the Washington Post, lies in a bright jobs report and spiking Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. Backers are dissing the bad news as fast as they can finance, says the Post: "Call them... More »

Stocks Climb on Rate-Cut Hype

S&P surging on last, next Fed slashes

(Newser) - The stock market rose for a second day as a weak new-home-sales report added energy to speculation that the Fed will slash rates again next month; Bloomberg puts the odds of a quarter-point cut at 88%. The S&P added 5.96 to reach 1,531.38, climbing within 1.... More »

Bernanke Sees More Housing Pain, ‘Relatively Strong’ System

Foreclosures continue, but market OK overall

(Newser) - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke went before Congress today, two days after trimming the benchmark lending rate, and said new foreclosures will come as more subprime mortgages run out clocks on initial interest rates. Markets “do tend to self-correct” in crises, the economic guru said, and the global system... More »

Investors Might Reap Rewards of Dollar's Slide

Currency's record lows against euro cause "to cheer," analyst says

(Newser) - The dollar may be continuing its slow, steady decline against the euro, but many analysts are looking on the bright side, Business Week reports. American stocks, companies, investors, and workers can all benefit from the decreasing value of their currency, economists say, with one calling the dollar’s decline “... More »

Demand for Mortgages Rises as Rates Fall

Interest charge lowest since May, with Fed likely to cut further

(Newser) - Applications for home loans increased for the second week in a row as interest rates on both fixed and adjustable-rate mortgages fell, according to a survey by the Mortgage Banker's Association. Indices tracking applications for both purchases and refinancing showed a 5.5% increase over last week and a 12.... More »

Soaring Inflation Rocks China

Food prices feeding public unrest

(Newser) - China's soaring inflation rate is the highest in a decade, putting pressure on the central bank to hike interest rates for the fifth time in six months to cool China's superheated economy. Food prices have jumped 18%, raising fears of public unrest., Bloomberg reports. Consumer prices rose across the board... More »

Energy, Techs Give Stocks a Jolt

Traders still confident that Bernanke will cut rates; GM leads upward trend

(Newser) - Tech and energy stocks led a rally at the end of today's session on Wall Street, as rumors of an interest-rate cut multiplied and traders examined indications that earnings would outpace prices in the two sectors. GM was up 6.1% as the Dow jumped 91.12 to 13448.86,... More »

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