The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 274 points Wednesday following the Federal Open Market Committee's release of its September meeting minutes. The release marked the last of the Quantitative Easing 3 era.
According to the minutes, many Fed officials are seeking a new way to convince others that they are not prepared to raise interest rates according to the previous timeline.
Here are the top stories from today’s trading…
The Federal Open Market Committee Meeting (FOMC) meeting minutes were expected to mirror the same sentiments and monetary policy guidelines the U.S. Federal Reserve has been touting for months.
And on that front, this minutes release did not disappoint.
But that doesn’t mean these minutes were not important. Here’s what to look for moving forward…
Ever since former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced the tapering of the Fed's current bond-buying program in December, the release of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes have been unsurprising and awash in technical central-banker jargon.
It's followed the same pattern each time: the Fed will have its meetings, release a statement, and then three weeks later they will release the minutes of that meeting as per Fed protocol.
But, here’s why these minutes are important, if for no other reason than the timing of them…
There is a lot of lip service being paid to the upcoming stock market crash that we're supposed to expect once the Federal Reserve starts raising rates.
Every time we get close to a regularly scheduled Federal Reserve statement, financial pundits pontificate about the nuances of what the Fed Chair might say, not say, or imply.
It's like clockwork.
But one theme remains constant: any tightening of the Fed's easy monetary policies will spell impending doom for the easy-money-addicted stock market.
The only problem, though, is that historical facts just don't support the fear. In fact, there are opportunities for investment out there no matter what rates do... Full Story
The Dow Jones today closed at a record high after the Federal Reserve released a statement that indicates its intent to maintain low interest rates for "a considerable time." Markets were quiet for most of the day, as investors were looking to determine whether the central bank plans to boost interest rates before the consensus expectations of mid-2015.
Here are the top stories from the stock market today…
The U.S. Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting today went according to plan, as the Fed will continue to taper bond purchases and is maintaining hushed tones on interest rate increases after the third round of quantitative easing (QE3) ends.
As far as monetary policy is concerned, nothing changed.
With business as usual at the Fed, here are the key takeaways from today’s Fed meeting…
Dow Jones Today, September 17, 2014: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose Tuesday after investors took a hard look at language used by the U.S. Federal Reserve and expected the central bank to be less hawkish on interest rates in the near term.
Yesterday, the Federal Open Market Committee kicked off a two-day meeting, where the central bank will be under intensive scrutiny from investors to determine what action Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen and her team will take on interest rates in the next nine months.
Here's what else you should know to make your Wednesday profitable:
The DJIA rose Tuesday after investors took a hard look at language used by the Federal Reserve and expect the central bank to be less hawkish on interest rates in the near term.
Today saw strong its strongest gains in the energy sector, fueled by rising oil prices. Brent crude, priced in London, increased 1.4%, while U.S. crude futures in New York were up 2%.
Here are today's top stories...
When the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the U.S. Federal Reserve meets next week (Sept. 16-17) to consider when it should raise interest rates, it will have a huge disincentive to do so.
And we're not talking about what you'll hear in the mainstream media about whether the unemployment rate is finally low enough, or whether U.S. economic growth is finally strong enough to warrant tightening monetary policy.
No, what the Federal Reserve fears most is a problem of its own creation...
Despite billions in bond-buying "quantitative easing" and near-zero interest rates courtesy of recent Fed policy, Americans have stashed $1.8 trillion in low-yield accounts since the QE program started in 2008.
It's a failed stimulative policy that has left a shocking $10.8 trillion on the sidelines. But when it comes to investing in stocks in particular, the news gets even worse.
Today's gold prices fell to levels not seen since mid-June. By market close Thursday, the yellow metal will have fallen for a fifth-straight session - its longest slump since June 2.
Money Morning's Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald joined CNBC's"Closing Bell" program yesterday and said the newly released Fed meeting minutes show that one thing is clear: The Federal Reserve is just "making things up as they go along."
Even more unnerving - the Fed's ridiculous conclusions have triggered some concerning moves in the markets.
Take a look:
Stock market news today, August 21, 2014: Dow Jones futures were up 40 points (0.24%) this morning (Thursday). S&P futures gained 3.75 points (0.19%) and Nasdaq futures were also up 5.25 points (0.13%).
Yesterday saw the release of minutes from the most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting in July. The minutes revealed that the U.S. Federal Reserve was impressed by job market's resilience, but still decided to wait on its decision of when it will raise interest rates.
Here are the top eight stories in the stock market today...
The three major indexes all dropped in unison shortly after the release of the minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's July Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, reflecting Fed sentiment that accommodative monetary policy could end sooner than expected if improvements continue in the labor market.
While the Fed made no remarks on an explicit timetable for interest rate hikes, which is what the markets are observing attentively, the minutes did indicate that the situation in the labor market was looking healthier and improving quicker than expected.
Here's what the Fed's agenda will be for the rest of the year...
The U.S. Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes from July will be released this afternoon and once again the nation's central bank won't be looking to pull any tricks.
All in all, the announcements this year out of the Fed have been predictable, and current Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen has continued to follow the same path that her predecessor Bernanke left her when he departed from the post in February.
But even the predictable Fed talk can be felt on Wall Street...
