interest rate cut

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Fed Cuts Bank Discount Rate to Boost Liquidity

Latest step to stem worsening credit crisis and bolster panicky markets

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve raced to buck up an anxious financial sector today by cutting its discount rate to banks by a quarter point, to 3.25%, the AP reports. It also created a new lending facility to aid investment banks with short-term loans. The moves are "designed to bolster...

Most Economists Say Recession Is Here

WSJ poll sees big shift toward the negative from survey five weeks ago

(Newser) - A cascade of bleak financial news has convinced most economists in a Wall Street Journal poll that the US is already in a recession. The results are markedly more negative than a similar survey only five weeks ago, and much of the foul mood can be traced to last week’...

Gold Hits Record $1K per Ounce
 Gold Hits Record $1K per Ounce 
Mar 13, 2008 1:03 PM CDT

Gold Hits Record $1K per Ounce

Slumping US economy, dollar sends investors to shiny commodity

(Newser) - Gold hit $1,000 per ounce for the first time today, the BBC reports, as investors flock to commodities. The precious metal is already up 20% on the year. “Every bit of bad US economic data boosts gold in two ways,” said Fortis Bank, both because gold is...

Despite Fed, Silicon Valley Bullish on Economy

Many tech workers not seeing US slump

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke’s report to Congress on monetary policy offered a grim outlook on the economy, but ABC News sees some signs that good news may be around the corner: workers in Silicon Valley, a national economic bellwether, feel good about their prospects. Rising exports, the recently-passed stimulus package and...

Bernanke Signals New Rate Cuts
Bernanke Signals New Rate Cuts
Feb 27, 2008 9:15 AM CST

Bernanke Signals New Rate Cuts

Says central bank 'will act as needed' to further minimize economic risks

(Newser) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke today said that the board stands ready to cut interest rates again to give the economy "adequate insurance against downside risks," reports the Wall Street Journal. The move, which follows 2.25% in cuts to the key rate since September, is widely expected...

Inflation Spikes, Cut in Jeopardy
Inflation Spikes, Cut in Jeopardy
Feb 20, 2008 9:04 AM CST

Inflation Spikes, Cut in Jeopardy

Fed may have hands tied, as CPI soars past expectations

(Newser) - Core inflation bounded ahead of expectations in January, which is bad news for anyone betting on a big rate cut from the Fed–and for the Fed itself. The consumer price index rose 0.4%, with core CPI rising 0.3%, putting the year-over-year figures at 4.3% and 2....

Bernanke Suggests Rate Cuts Ahead
Bernanke Suggests Rate Cuts Ahead
Feb 14, 2008 9:20 AM CST

Bernanke Suggests Rate Cuts Ahead

Fed chief sees threats from employment, housing, credit

(Newser) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled today that further interest rate cuts might be necessary, citing continuing fallout from the credit and housing market collapses, reports the Wall Street Journal. Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee he expected "a period of sluggish growth, followed by a somewhat stronger pace...

Fed Battles to Balance Rate Cuts, Inflation

Officials fret over steep drop hampering possible recovery

(Newser) - Inflation worries have some Fed officials hinting that interest-rate cuts may slow down, sparking concerns among investors who expect the central bank to trim rates 75 more basis points at its March 18 meeting, reports the Wall Street Journal. Rates have been reduced 2.25% since September—to 3%--in an...

Rate-Cut Rally Fades Away
Rate-Cut Rally Fades Away
MARKETS
Jan 30, 2008 3:40 PM CST

Rate-Cut Rally Fades Away

Stocks soar, then drop on Fed action

(Newser) - The Fed’s half-point rate cut this afternoon briefly sent stocks soaring—before the rally crumbled and the Dow ended down 37.47 points at 12,442.83. Most Streeters have welcomed the series of interest rate slashes, but some are concerned they are too aggressive and could trigger inflation...

Fed Cuts Key Rate by Half Point
Fed Cuts Key Rate by
Half Point
Jan 30, 2008 1:24 PM CST

Fed Cuts Key Rate by Half Point

Officials signal further cuts possible as overnight lending rate hits 3%

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by a half percentage point today, reports the Wall Street Journal, bringing the benchmark overnight lending rate down to 3% even as officials signaled that further cuts were possible. The widely anticipated move follows last week's emergency .75% cut to a rate...

Stocks Up on Rate-Cut Hopes
Stocks Up on Rate-Cut Hopes
MARKETS
Jan 28, 2008 3:48 PM CST

Stocks Up on Rate-Cut Hopes

Investors look for grim housing numbers to lead to a cut

(Newser) - 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,...

World Money Chief Calls for Global Action

IMF head foresees widespread slowdown, backs US stimulus

(Newser) - With a global recession looming, the head of the IMF has warned bankers meeting in Davos, Switzerland, that lower interest rates alone won’t avert a crisis, the Financial Times reports. Dominique Strauss-Kahn called on governments to follow the US in easing fiscal policies, reversing a quarter-century of emphasis on...

How Low Will Bernanke Go?
How Low Will Bernanke Go?
Jan 24, 2008 9:29 AM CST

How Low Will Bernanke Go?

Fed meets Wednesday to decide if another rate cut is needed right now

(Newser) - 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 ...

Did Fed Freak With Emergency Rate Cut?
Did Fed Freak With Emergency Rate Cut?
OPINION
Jan 23, 2008 10:13 AM CST

Did Fed Freak With Emergency Rate Cut?

Decision smacks of panic—and worse trouble yet to come

(Newser) - 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...

Stocks Plunge, Battle Back
Stocks Plunge, Battle Back
MARKETS
Jan 22, 2008 3:38 PM CST

Stocks Plunge, Battle Back

Markets decline, but emergency rate cut moderates effect

(Newser) - 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....

Fed Slashes Key Interest Rate by .75%

Emergency three-quarter-point cut drops prime rate to 6.5%

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve, confronted with a world-wide sell-off triggered by fears of a US recession, cut a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point today. The benchmark overnight lending rate was cut to 3.5% from 4.25%, which drops the prime rate to 6.5%. The Fed...

IBM Leads Stock Surge
IBM Leads Stock Surge
MARKETS
Jan 14, 2008 3:45 PM CST

IBM Leads Stock Surge

Hopes for another rate cut also contributed to the rally

(Newser) - Stocks surged today, propelled by hopes for an interest rate cut and expectation-busting fourth-quarter results from IBM. "The Fed has a very hard job right now, but I think the market is saying it thinks they are up to the task," a trading exec told the Wall Street ...

Bernanke Hints at Hefty Interest Rate Cuts

Fed hopes to thwart troubled markets, unemployment

(Newser) - 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%....

Goldman Predicts Recession
Goldman Predicts Recession
Jan 10, 2008 12:31 PM CST

Goldman Predicts Recession

Wall Street's top firm sees two unhappy quarters ahead

(Newser) - 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...

Fed Remains Open to More Rate Cuts
Fed Remains Open to More Rate Cuts
Jan 2, 2008 7:33 PM CST

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...

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