Federal Reserve

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10 Banks Form $70B Fund to Stave Off Crash

Paulson brokers twin public-private liquidity measures

(Newser) - Ten of the world's largest banks have formed a massive liquidity fund to mitigate the effects of the Lehman Brothers meltdown, reports the Financial Times. All the investment banks will be able to borrow up to a third of the $70 billion fund in order to reduce volatility and stay...

AIG Seeks $40B Fed Loan in Bid to Prevent Collapse

Insurance giant tries to stave off credit downgrade, aims to sell assets

(Newser) - In yet another Wall Street meltdown, floundering insurance giant American International Group has turned to the federal government in a bid to stave off a threatened credit-rating downgrade that could trigger the firm’s immediate collapse, reports the New York Times. AIG has requested a $40 billion bridge loan from...

Feds, Banks Seek Lehman Deal by Tonight

BofA, Barclays balk at bad assets, but bailout not in the cards

(Newser) - Washington and Wall Street continued talks today aimed at solving the Lehman Brothers crisis as early as tonight, the Wall Street Journal reports. Federal Reserve officials still refuse to approve a bailout like the one that enabled JP Morgan to acquire Bear Stearns this summer—but possible buyers like Bank...

Credit Crisis at Tipping Point
Credit Crisis at Tipping Point
analysis

Credit Crisis at Tipping Point

As troubles mount, US government's intervention shows signs of strain

(Newser) - The federal government keeps taking aggressive steps to keep the markets from flying off the rails, and yet here we are again: facing another crisis and wondering how much intervention is necessary, the Wall Street Journal reports. With government intervention showing signs of strain amid entrenched economic problems, the crisis...

Lehman Doomed by Market Schadenfreude, Bear Bailout

Everyone's enjoying watching giant fall, Lewis writes

(Newser) - All it took was a single anonymously sourced report Tuesday to send Lehman Brothers down about 50% in 15 minutes. This proves two things, writes Michael Lewis: The market is jittery, and “Lehman Brothers is doomed.” The big bank’s fate is sealed in part “because it...

Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson
Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson

Senator: Fire 'Socialist' Paulson

Ky.'s Bunning appears to have problem with Fannie/Freddie move

(Newser) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson saved Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but now he may have to worry about saving his own job: One Republican senator called his policies socialist and recommended that he and Fed chief Ben Bernanke resign, Bloomberg reports. “They have taken the free market out of...

Wait on Rate Hikes Until Crisis Eases
Wait on Rate Hikes Until
Crisis Eases
OPINION

Wait on Rate Hikes Until Crisis Eases

Fed should ignore critics, hold its ground until markets rebound

(Newser) - Critics claim the Federal Reserve has been too eager to cut interest rates, and that lax policy has exacerbated inflation. But the Fed should hold its ground, Desmond Lachman argues in the American, until the housing and credit markets are clearly on the rebound. The credit crunch has prompted banks...

Stocks Flat on Mixed News
 Stocks Flat on Mixed News 
MARKETS

Stocks Flat on Mixed News

Convention, vacations mean trading volume stays light

(Newser) - Stocks were mixed amid mostly poor economic data today, the Wall Street Journal reports. With trading light and much attention focused on the Democrats’ economic plans, the Dow gained 26.62 to close at 11,412.87. The Nasdaq fell 3.62, closing at 2,361.97, while the S&...

Lower Oil, Inflation Rally Stocks
 Lower Oil, Inflation Rally Stocks
MARKETS

Lower Oil, Inflation Rally Stocks

Fed chief soothes markets; Lehman may have a buyer

(Newser) - Stocks rallied today amid light trading but still saw weekly losses as oil prices fell and financials rebounded, helped in part by a speech by Ben Bernanke that eased inflation fears, MarketWatch reports. The Dow surged 197.85 to 11,628.06; the Nasdaq gained 34.33, closing at 2,...

Greenspan: Housing Will Hit Bottom in 2009

Skilled immigrants would help end slump, he says

(Newser) - Alan Greenspan said housing prices could continue to edge lower through 2009, but should “stabilize or touch bottom” in the first six months of the year, reports the Wall Street Journal. And, the former Fed chief says, while a government bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie May was the...

Consumer Prices Jump in July; Inflation at 17-Year High

(Newser) - US consumer prices shot up 0.8% in July, twice the expected rate, pushed higher by surging energy and food costs, the AP reports. The spike left inflation running at 5.6%, the fastest pace in 17 years, the Labor Department reported today. It marked the third straight month of...

Bad News Spurs Big Sell-Off
 Bad News Spurs Big Sell-Off
MARKETS

Bad News Spurs Big Sell-Off

Poor results at AIG, nervous retailers, rising oil all contribute to decline

(Newser) - The markets suffered big losses today as investors were confronted by bad news from retail and financial giants, as well as a 6-year-high in weekly unemployment, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow fell 224.64to 11,431.43. The Nasdaq lost 22.64 to finish at 2,355.73,...

Dow Skyrockets as Oil Retreats
 Dow Skyrockets as Oil Retreats 
MARKETS

Dow Skyrockets as Oil Retreats

Deep-seated concerns about economy remain

(Newser) - Stocks rallied today after the Fed said it would keep money cheap for the time being and crude prices fell to below $120 a barrel, a 3-month low. The Dow gained 330.80 to close at 11,614.95, the Nasdaq rose 64.27 to 2,349.83, and the...

Fed Again Leaves Funds Rate at 2%
Fed Again Leaves Funds Rate at 2%

Fed Again Leaves Funds Rate at 2%

Decision aimed at balancing inflation, economic worries

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve declared today that it was keeping its target for the federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other, at 2%. Confronted with the perils of a slumping US economy and rising inflation, the Fed decided for a second consecutive meeting to leave interest rates unchanged....

Greenspan to Government: Hands Off
Greenspan to Government: Hands Off
OPINION

Greenspan to Government: Hands Off

Market capitalism can ride out the crisis, writes former Fed boss

(Newser) - The credit crisis is far from over, and more banks and financial institutions might require government bailouts along the way, Alan Greenspan acknowledges. The crunch will relax only when home prices, "the ultimate collateral support for much of the financial world’s mortgage-backed securities," begin to stabilize, the...

Oil Drops; Stocks Follow
 Oil Drops; Stocks Follow  
MARKETS

Oil Drops; Stocks Follow

Gray day on Street ahead of Fed's policy meeting

(Newser) - Stocks closed down today, giving back gains from an early rally despite a nearly $4 drop in crude oil prices as worries about economic growth and inflation persisted, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow fell 42.17 to close at 11,284.15, the Nasdaq lost 25.40 and...

Fed Extends Emergency Loan Program for Wall Street

Bernanke offers several options for cash-strapped firms

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve today extended its emergency borrowing program for Wall Street firms through Jan. 30. Originally the program, through which investment houses can tap the central bank for a quick source of cash, was supposed to last until mid-September. Another program, where banks can temporarily swap more risky investments...

Say Goodbye to the Reagan Revolution
Say Goodbye
to the Reagan Revolution

Say Goodbye to the Reagan Revolution

Leaders abandon deregulation for a hands on approach

(Newser) - The Reagan Revolution, which ushered in a quarter century of deregulation, looks as if it's taken a stake in the heart, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed is offering tens of billions in emergency loans to failing banks, the SEC wants more power to regulate financial institutions, and the...

Mixed News Keeps Gains Slim
 Mixed News Keeps Gains Slim 
MARKETS

Mixed News Keeps Gains Slim

Markets absorb gloomy Fed data and continued oil drop

(Newser) - The markets pared earlier gains to end just slightly positive today, amid mixed earnings reports and a gloomy-but-expected Federal Reserve data on the US economy, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow gained 29.88, closing at 11,632.38. The Nasdaq gained 21.92, settling at 2,325.88,...

Public Silence Greets Wall St. Blunders
Public Silence Greets Wall St. Blunders
OPINION

Public Silence Greets Wall St. Blunders

Small savers are suffering, but giving financiers a free ride

(Newser) - America's financiers have driven the country into crisis with stunning recklessness, James Grant writes in the Wall Street Journal, but public anger seems strangely dormant. Populist politicians railed against Wall Street during past financial crises, Grant notes, but today's politicians appear largely uninterested in taking aim at the easy target.

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