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U.S. Central Bank

Article Index

Look to Emerging Markets as the Federal Reserve Diminishes the Dollar

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

The main thrust of the past two months has been the renewed collapse of the U.S. dollar.

The dollar has been on a one-way elevator ride to the ground floor since August, when U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke first warned that quantitative easing was on the horizon.

Most recently, the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) last meeting telegraphed further monetary stimulus.

''In light of the considerable uncertainty about the current trajectory for the economy, some members saw merit in accumulating further information before reaching a decision about providing additional monetary stimulus," the minutes read. "In addition, members wanted to consider further the most effective framework for calibrating and communicating any additional steps to provide such stimulus. Several members noted that unless the pace of economic recovery strengthened or underlying inflation moved back toward a level consistent with the Committee's mandate, they would consider it appropriate to take action soon."

Concerns about inflation being too low almost guarantees additional quantitative easing unless the recovery gets a big shot in the arm before the next meeting in early November.

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Money Morning Mailbag: Are We Headed for Over-Regulation?

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning -

As U.S. financial reform continues to be the focus of controversy and debate throughout the nation, it seems as if the same questions arise again and again: How much regulation is necessary to create a fair market? What can we learn from our previous banking policies? What does the future hold for lenders, borrowers and […]

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Will America Choke on its Own Debt?

By , Executive Editor, Money Morning • @privatebrief -

Is America getting in too deep?

According to a new estimate by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), if the United States continues along its current path, U.S. public debt will reach 90% of the nation's economic output by 2020.

Given that federal debt has already zoomed to 53% of gross domestic product (GDP), this projected additional escalation seems outrageous.

Unfortunately, it's only a piece of the story.

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Having Served its Purpose, TALF Could Soon Turn a Profit for the Fed

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

The Term Asset Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) program has succeeded in reviving the consumer loan-backed market and may even return a profit for the Federal Reserve, according to William Dudley, one of the main architects of the facility.

In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Dudley, the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said that the TALF program has reignited the market for securities backed by loans on vehicles and credit-card debt.

TALF was launched by the Fed to entice buyers to buy new bonds backed by auto and student loans.  At the time, investors were reluctant to purchase securities backed by shaky collateral, fearing they would lose their entire investment.

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Bulls Vs. Bears: Who's Winning Wall Street's Biggest Battle?

By , Contributing Writer, Money Morning -

Two big economic reports dampened the mood on Wall Street in the past week: The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Index and the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index.

But despite what the bears would have you believe, several strong companies have shrugged such data aside and broken through to new highs. In fact, long-term, we continue to see evidence that a robust business-led recovery is underway.

To find out what companies are leading a new bull market click here...

Fed's Discount-Rate Increase Illustrates Exit-Strategy Challenges That Await the U.S. Central Bank

By , Associate Editor, Money Morning -

Is the U.S. Federal Reserve finally launching its "exit strategy?"

When the nation's central bank boosted the discount rate last week, it assured investors that this wasn't a monetary tightening. The assurance didn't seem to matter. The move late Thursday touched off a furious global-market reaction and U.S. dollar increase on Friday. This demonstrates the challenge the central bank will face as it crawls toward an ultimate increase in interest rates.

In a move that surprised the markets, the Fed announced Thursday that it was increasing the rate it charges banks for emergency loans to 0.75% from 0.50%. The also reduced the central bank also slashed the maximum-loan-maturity length from 28 days (it was once as high as 90 days) to overnight.

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Fed: Recession "Very Likely Over," but Threats Remain

By , Managing Editor, Money Morning -

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said yesterday (Tuesday) that the worst recession since the Great Depression is "very likely over." However, Bernanke also said that unemployment would remain high and keep the recovery from accelerating. "Even though, from a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over at this point," Bernanke said, "it's […]

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