interest rate cut – News Stories About interest rate cut - Page 3

Fed Joins 5
Central Banks
in Shock Rate Cut

Oct 8, 2008 7:04 AM CDT

Fed Joins 5 Central Banks in Shock Rate Cut

US, EU, UK, others offer 50-point reduction to reverse diving markets

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve and five other central banks cut interest rates by 50 basis points in an emergency attempt to stem the economic effects of the credit crisis, reports Bloomberg. The move brings the American benchmark rate to just 1.5%, while the European Central Bank and the monetary authorities...

Stocks Sink as Bernanke Hints at Rate Cut

MARKETS

Oct 7, 2008 1:28 PM CDT

Stocks Sink as Bernanke Hints at Rate Cut

After early optimistic surge, Dow falls 300 points

(Newser) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned today that the financial crisis has not only darkened the country's current economic performance but also could prolong the pain. The Fed chief's gloomy assessment appeared to hint of an interest rate cut on or before the Fed’s next meeting later this month....

Asia Stocks Edge Up

Oct 7, 2008 4:58 AM CDT

Asia Stocks Edge Up

Aussie rate cut spurs recovery in some markets, Nikkei down to 5-year-low

(Newser) - Asian stocks outside Japan made a modest recovery from yesterday's plunge after Australia slashed its interest rate a full percentage point to 6%, Reuters reports. Indexes in South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore all edged up slightly. In Japan, the Nikkei was down 3% to a 5-year low after the Bank...

Fed Weighs
Emergency
Rate Cut

Oct 2, 2008 9:28 AM CDT

Fed Weighs Emergency Rate Cut

As economy deteriorates, inflation becomes less of a concern

(Newser) - Mounting fears that the credit crisis and continually worsening economic data will push a stagnant US economy into a severe recession has spurred the Federal Reserve to consider cutting interest rates from their current 2%, the Wall Street Journal reports. Even if the House follows the Senate in passing the...

Wait on Rate Hikes Until
Crisis Eases

OPINION

Sep 3, 2008 5:55 PM CDT

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...

Fed Likely to Hold Rates—
for Now

Jun 25, 2008 6:17 AM CDT

Fed Likely to Hold Rates— for Now

Bernanke hopes the 2% interbank rate will help economy rebound

(Newser) - Despite fears that inflationary forces are revving, the Federal Reserve will probably hold the interbank federal funds rate at 2% today, hoping the bargain basement rate can help kick-start a stalled economy that’s been hamstrung by a tenacious housing slump and a credit crunch hangover, Reuters reports.

In Turmoil,
Bernanke Forged
New Persona

ANALYSIS

May 28, 2008 10:50 AM CDT

In Turmoil, Bernanke Forged New Persona

Fed chief sheds academic image with crisis management; some worry he went too far

(Newser) - Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke’s aggressive actions in March to douse the fire consuming financial markets won him fans on Wall Street and elsewhere, but created a cadre of critics who say the “Bernanke Doctrine” fuels inflation and hurts the dollar, the New York Times reports. “It...

Stocks Rally; Dow Up Almost 200

MARKETS

May 1, 2008 3:24 PM CDT

Stocks Rally; Dow Up Almost 200

Fed's latest actions draw late but rave reviews

(Newser) - Stocks rallied today on strong performances by several big tech firms, MarketWatch reports. Investors also poured money into financials in anticipation of the dollar boost the Fed will cause by holding interest rates steady after yesterday’s cut. The Dow climbed 189.87 to at 13,010.00, the Nasdaq...

Rate-Cut News
Sweeps Away Rally

MARKETS

Apr 30, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Rate-Cut News Sweeps Away Rally

Stocks end down thanks to nervous investors

(Newser) - News of today's Fed interest-rate cut swept away a market rally, and stocks ended down. Language in the Fed statement indicating that further trims were unlikely spooked investors, the Wall Street Journal reports, though that news was expected. The Dow ended down 11.81 to 12,820.13; the Nasdaq...

Fed Trims Rate to 2%

UPDATED

Apr 30, 2008 1:31 PM CDT

Fed Trims Rate to 2%

Markets expect cut to be body's last for some time

(Newser) - As expected, the Federal Reserve cut a key US interest rate today, the Wall Street Journal reports, trimming its overnight rate a quarter-point to 2%. Seven consecutive cuts have the rate down from 5.25% in September as the Fed attempts to keep the economy from stalling under credit woes....

Fed Ponders Pause in Rate Cuts—After 1 More

Apr 24, 2008 10:05 AM CDT

Fed Ponders Pause in Rate Cuts—After 1 More

Experts expect a last cut to 2% before the central bank stops and waits

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve may be ready to cool its torrid rate-cutting after a likely .25% percentage point cut at its meeting next week, the Wall Street Journal reports. Futures markets are betting Chairman Ben Bernanke is unlikely to rest just yet, with little change in the month-to-month economic picture, but...

Bank of England
Cuts Interest Rate

Apr 10, 2008 7:35 AM CDT

Bank of England Cuts Interest Rate

Bank votes quarter-point cut to 5% as downward pressure mounts

(Newser) - The Bank of England today cut its benchmark interest rate 25 basis points to 5%, reports Bloomberg, hoping to keep the nation’s economy out of recession. Despite the third cut since December, BoE’s rate remains the highest among the Group of Seven industrialized nations; policymakers have drawn fire...

Bernanke: Adjustment Is Mostly Over

Apr 2, 2008 10:24 AM CDT

Bernanke: Adjustment Is Mostly Over

But admits economy could contract, possibility of recession

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke for the first time acknowledged the possibility of a US recession, but he also voiced optimism that “much” of the adjustment period was over, the Wall Street Journal reports. His testimony before Congress seemed to suggest an end to aggressive stimulus measures—noting that rates had already...

Could the Credit Crunch Sink a Whole Country?

Mar 26, 2008 9:10 AM CDT

Could the Credit Crunch Sink a Whole Country?

Iceland frets about collapse as interest rates spike to 15%

(Newser) - The global credit crisis has spelled disaster for banks and hedge funds, but now worry is mounting that an entire country could go under. Yesterday the central bank of Iceland was forced to raise its interest rate 1.25 percentage points to 15% at an emergency meeting, reports the Financial ...

Fed Cut Raises Inflation Fears

Mar 19, 2008 10:27 AM CDT

Fed Cut Raises Inflation Fears

Borrowers, exporters stand to gain, but critics find move 'self-defeating'

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve's latest rate cut might boost the economy with cheaper credit, but economists worry a freed inflation genie could be behind any magic, the Washington Post reports. Commodity prices rose to record levels in expectation that the rate cut would keep demand high, and the price hikes are...

Stocks Blast Off; Dow Rises 420

MARKETS

Mar 18, 2008 3:47 PM CDT

Stocks Blast Off; Dow Rises 420

Worries lessen that investment banks are doomed

(Newser) - Stocks blasted off today, with the Dow up more than 400 points after the Fed rate cut and a rally by investment bank stocks. "The run on the investment banks would appear to be over,'' a strategist told Bloomberg. The Dow ended up 420.41 at 12,392....

$Fed Cuts Key Interest Rate ¾ Point$

Fed Cuts
Key Interest
Rate ¾ Point

updated

Mar 18, 2008 1:37 PM CDT

Fed Cuts Key Interest Rate ¾ Point

But Wall Street had hoped for more

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve today cut the federal funds rate by ¾ of a percentage point, from 3% to 2.25%, disappointing many investors who were hoping for a cut of a full point, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Fed voted 8-2 for the rate cut. "Recent information indicates...

Fed 'Will Get on Top of This,' Says Bernanke Mentor

Mar 18, 2008 10:35 AM CDT

Fed 'Will Get on Top of This,' Says Bernanke Mentor

Scope 'far exceeds' that of previous crises

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke has the savvy to inject enough liquidity into the US economy to push it through the current credit crisis, says a leading economist who advised the Fed chief's MIT doctoral thesis. “The Fed will get on top of this,” said Stanley Fischer, ahead of this afternoon's...

Fed Cuts Bank Discount
Rate to Boost Liquidity

Mar 16, 2008 7:21 PM CDT

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

Mar 13, 2008 5:00 PM CDT

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’...