Federal Reserve

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Bernanke Sees Economy Stabilizing

But not going to improve quickly

(Newser) - It looks like the economy is stabilizing, Ben Bernanke told the congressional Joint Economic Committee today, but recovery won’t be quick, and there are still “sizable job losses” on the horizon. “We continue to expect economic activity to bottom out, then to turn up later this year,...

Citi May Need Extra $10B to Pass Stress Test

Fed delays release of results as banks haggle over initial findings

(Newser) - Citigroup may have to scrape together as much as $10 billion in fresh capital to pass the Fed's stress tests for big banks, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal. The release of the tests—which assess how a bank could weather various dire scenarios—has been pushed back from Monday...

Fed to Release Stress Test Results Next Week

Data will show potential losses in specific loan categories

(Newser) - The US will learn the fiscal health of its 19 biggest banks Thursday, when the Federal Reserve and Treasury release the results of the “stress tests,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Delayed somewhat, the results will contain potential loss estimates in specific loan categories for each bank, and...

Dow Surges 168 on Fed Hopes
 Dow Surges 168 on Fed Hopes 
MARKETS
Apr 29, 2009 3:40 PM CDT

Dow Surges 168 on Fed Hopes

Consumer spending bump supports solid gains

(Newser) - Stocks gained today but ended off session highs after good news from a key Federal Reserve body, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Open Market Committee said it saw evidence the economy is stabilizing, and the Fed said it may increase purchases of Treasury securities to lower borrowing costs. The...

Fed Tells BofA, Citi to Raise Billions

(Newser) - Federal Reserve regulators are urging Bank of America and Citigroup to raise more capital, based on their preliminary stress test results, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. Sources familiar with Bank of America say the shortfall numbers in the billions. But both banks are protesting, with Bank of America expected...

Fed Describes 'Stress Tests'
 Fed Describes 'Stress Tests' 
Apr 24, 2009 4:06 PM CDT

Fed Describes 'Stress Tests'

(Newser) - At the behest of the Federal Reserve, the 19 biggest US banks are projecting their losses on 12 categories of financial product such as loans and mortgage securities, the New York Times reports. The Fed, which asked the institutions to project a hypothetical scenario of a “stressed economic environment,...

Banks Get Stress Test Grades
 Banks Get Stress Test Grades 
Apr 24, 2009 8:40 AM CDT

Banks Get Stress Test Grades

Pandit out at Citi?

(Newser) - The nation's biggest banks will start to learn how they did on the dreaded stress test today, reports the New York Times. Though the public won’t learn the results until May 4, analysts are predicting that many of the 19 banks will have to raise large amounts of new...

Schumer Wants Faster Action on Credit Cards

Rules on deceptive practices don't take effect until 2010

(Newser) - Sen. Chuck Schumer is putting pressure on the Fed and the Office of Thrift Supervision to enact restrictions on the business practices of credit card firms more quickly, the New York Daily News reports. The agencies have drafted new rules banning deceptive practices like hidden fees and retroactive rate hikes,...

Fed Swears Stimulus Won't Spike Inflation

Central bank will 'adapt flexibly' and one day reverse rescue plans

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve's plans to plunge more money into the economy are “necessary, safe, and effective" and “will not lead to adverse aftereffects,” Ben Bernanke's top deputy said today. Giving a speech at Vanderbilt University, Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn admitted that the Fed's balance sheet...

Beige Book Boosts Dow Up 109
 Beige Book Boosts Dow Up 109 
MARKETS
Apr 15, 2009 3:15 PM CDT

Beige Book Boosts Dow Up 109

Investors look past Intel to manufacturing

(Newser) - Stocks rose late in today’s session, buoyed by decent news from the Fed’s Beige Book, the Wall Street Journal reports. The report showed manufacturing activity stabilizing or rising in five of 12 US districts, after months of declines. The Dow closed up 109.44 at 8,029.62....

Bernanke's PR Campaign Strips Fed Mystique

Fed chief considering press briefings as part of push for more open central bank

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke is breaking from his predecessors at the Federal Reserve by giving the public a less obstructed view of the Fed's role in the big picture, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bernanke, thrust into the spotlight by the financial crisis, has ditched the man-behind-the-curtain mystique earlier chiefs reveled in...

Fed to Banks: Keep Quiet on Stress Tests

Officials worry leaked results will cause market chaos

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve is adopting a loose-lips-sink-ships policy when it comes to the “stress tests” being administered to big US financial firms. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and others have been ordered to keep quiet about their financial report cards, Bloomberg reports. Officials fear that should those results leak, investors would...

At NY Fed, Geithner Saw Risk, Didn't Act
At NY Fed, Geithner Saw Risk, Didn't Act
investigation
Apr 3, 2009 10:35 AM CDT

At NY Fed, Geithner Saw Risk, Didn't Act

Legacy of missing red flags trails onetime regulator to Treasury

(Newser) - Timothy Geithner spent a lot of time thinking about the derivatives trade as president of the New York Federal Reserve—in 2005 he convinced banks to digitize the market, making it far more efficient. But he never convinced them to scale back risk and never exercised his powers to force...

This Rally May Be the Real Deal
 This Rally May Be the Real Deal 
OPINION
Mar 26, 2009 9:07 AM CDT

This Rally May Be the Real Deal

Positive indicators, better policy, historical benchmarks; the time is right for a bottom

(Newser) - The tentative rally on Wall Street is reason enough for one economist to feel hopeful: "I’m ready to take another shot at calling the bottom," writes Michael Mandel in BusinessWeek. Since (apparently) bottoming out March 9, stocks have risen 20%, and the reasons behind the climb are...

Euro Bank Chief Slams US on Stimulus

Central bank chief says nations must get the last effort right

(Newser) - The head of the European Central Bank says the continent does not need to spend more to combat recession, heightening the standoff between Washington and European governments over response to the financial crisis. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Jean-Claude Trichet said governments should concentrate on executing measures...

Treasury Unveils $1T Plan to Clean Up Toxic Assets

Three-part program will push investors to buy toxic assets

(Newser) - The Treasury unveiled its three-part Public-Private Investment Program today, reports the Wall Street Journal. Under the program, up to $100 billion in TARP funds will be partnered with private investments to buy troubled assets. The Treasury, Federal Reserve, and FDIC will work with hedge funds and private equity to try...

Disgraced Credit Raters See Windfall in Fed Plan

Moody's, S&P could earn big rating Fed bond deals

(Newser) - Credit-rating companies faulted for their role in creating the financial crisis could rake in more than $1 billion in Ben Bernanke’s new plan to prop up the financial system, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed is planning $7 billion worth of bond deals, and they'll need the approval...

Mortgages Won't Go Any Lower
 Mortgages Won't Go Any Lower 
Analysis
Mar 20, 2009 8:48 AM CDT

Mortgages Won't Go Any Lower

(Newser) - The extraordinary measures the Fed has taken to reduce long-term mortgage rates may have hit their limits. Lenders are now quoting an average rate of 4.75% on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, and that’s probably as cheap as it’s going to get, says James Hagerty of the Wall Street ...

Plummeting Mortgage Rates Near Record Low

Rate for 30-year mortgage again below 5%

(Newser) - Interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages decreased this week, with the rate for a 30-year mortgage falling 0.05% to an average 4.98%, near January’s record low of 4.96%, MarketWatch reports. Thirty- and 15-year mortgage rates are down nearly a full percentage point from a year ago. The...

Geithner Swinging in Wind After Fed Drops AIG Ball

Treasury says Fed kept them in dark, despite sec's previous role

(Newser) - Officials at the Fed knew about AIG's plan to award $165 million in bonuses for months but failed to tell the Obama administration, reports the Washington Post. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said this week he was "stunned when I learned how bad this was"—belatedly on March 10—...

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