Federal Reserve System
Fed to add funds as liquidity pressures re-emerge
The Federal Reserve is set to pledge up to $140 billion in extra funds in a bid to soothe the third wave of rising money market tensions since August.
Inflation expectations up: Fed's Geithner
Timothy Geithner, the president of the New York Federal Reserve, has acknowledged that inflation expectations have risen in the US.
Majority of US districts experienced slowdown
The latest edition of the Beige Book reveals two-thirds of regional Federal Reserves reported a softening in the pace of business activity in the first quarter.
Kohn on Fed's recent regulatory initiatives
The Fed and other banking agencies have encouraged mortgage lenders to pursue prudent loan workouts in order to help struggling homeowners, said Donald Kohn, the vice chairman of the central bank.
Fed's Mishkin on economic outlook
Frederic Mishkin, a governor of the Federal Reserve, expects a period of economic weakness in the near term that should be offset in future quarters by the monetary easing already in place and the fiscal stimulus package.
EU's Barroso notes concern over euro's strength
Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, has acknowledged that the euro is now worryingly strong.
Interbank rates creep up in Europe
Money market tensions are showing signs of re-emergence, with interbank rates hitting levels not seen since mid-January for euro and sterling borrowing.
Credit crunch set to hamper US lending
US growth could fall by up to 1.5 percentage points over the next year as a result of tighter borrowing conditions, a report prepared for the US Monetary Policy Forum has found. The report also estimates the losses on mortgage securities will total $400…
Fed's Kroszner on liquidity risk management
Liquidity risk should be evaluated and addressed on an enterprise-wide basis and should be tightly integrated with capital planning, said Randall Kroszner, a governor at the Federal Reserve.
Simply the best for policy, says Fed's Plosser
Simple rate-setting rules based on publicly observable information are the best to use, said Charles Plosser, the president of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve.
Fed auctions to run into March
The Federal Reserve is set to continue its Term Auction Facility operations into March, pledging another $60 billion to alleviate money market tensions.
Credit crunch – phase two
The credit crisis that started in August last year has moved into a destabilising second phase, with equity markets and the real economy looking increasingly shaky. This section analyses central banks’ response to the long-running crisis
News analysis: Forced into action
Claire Jones, the editor of Central Bank News, analyses how uncertainty threatened to cripple the interbank market and called for a unique response from the central banks
Bernanke spooks markets with bank failure warning
The dollar hit a record low against the euro after Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, warned that small banks could fail in the coming months.
Fed exacerbating stagflation risk: Meltzer
The Federal Reserve's current policies mark a return to the dark days of the 1970s and carry the same threats, says Allan Meltzer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
Bernanke changes tack, cautions on inflation
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has said that the inflation picture in the US has worsened since the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) last met.
Further Fed cuts likely on Kohn comments
Donald Kohn, the vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, has hinted that more rate cuts are needed in order to insure against an economic calamity.
Controlling inflation stabilises growth
Monetary policy's dual objectives - stabilising inflation and stabilising economic activity - complement rather than contradict one another, said Frederic Mishkin, a governor of the Federal Reserve.
Fed's Fisher warns on inflation expectations
Richard Fisher, the president of the Dallas Federal Reserve, has said that the Fed must be careful to avoid "stirring the embers of inflation".
Stagflation problem for the Fed?
The Federal Reserve faces a problem that the United States has not seen for many years: stagflation.
Fed's Evans sees pause in rate cuts
Charles Evans, the president of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank, said that the recent interest rate reductions taken by the Fed should be sufficient to help promote moderate growth over time and mitigate the risks to economic activity.
Mishkin on Fed flexibility
In a speech on 15 February, Fed governor Frederic Mishkin explained how the Federal Reserve has used four different tools to accomplish its objectives of achieving price stability and maximum employment in recent months.
Chances of big cut diminish on Bernanke testimony
Market predictions of another cut to the federal funds rate of at least 50 basis points looked far from certain, following comments from Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.