United States
How Fed decisions impact share prices
The Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions impact equity prices around the globe. However, the impact varies considerably between firms. Research from the Fed uncovers several factors which account for these variations.
Fed justifies move to target range
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) shifted from a key rate towards a target range owing to a lack of control over overnight market rates and to highlight the need to step up quantitative easing, the minutes of its December meeting reveal.
Regional Feds announce new chairmen
Three of the 12 regional Federal Reserves have named new chairmen for their boards of directors in 2009.
Fed not out of ammo, says SF's Yellen
The Federal Reserve still has the tools to stimulate the economy even with interest rates at next to zero, said Janet Yellen, the president of the San Francisco Fed.
Obama nominee underlines change at the Fed
The nomination of Daniel Tarullo, law professor at Georgetown University and regulation expert, to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve provides early evidence of the way the central bank is being reshaped in the aftermath of the financial…
Fed announces January start to MBS programme
The Federal Reserve on Tuesday announced that it will start the operations of its programme to purchase mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in early January.
Fed paper on subprime mortgages
This Federal Reserve working paper models the historical default and prepayment behaviour for subprime mortgages using data on securitised mortgages originated from 2000 to 2007.
GM finance arm gets TARP funding
The finance arm of General Motors, the embattled US automaker, has received financial support under the US Treasury's Troubled Assets Relief Programme (TARP) after gaining approval from the Federal Reserve to become a bank holding company.
Fed further opens lending window
The Federal Reserve has announced a new lending facility that will allow an even wider range of institutions - including hedge funds - to access loans by the central bank.
Assets are better kept with SWFs
Countries with a large foreign asset base tend to establish sovereign wealth funds as central banks' portfolio diversification tends is limited, says a new paper from the San Francisco Federal Reserve.
How high is inflation? Depends how you ask
Seemingly small differences in how inflation is referred to in a survey can lead respondents to consider significantly different price concepts, says a paper from the New York Federal Reserve.
Paulson wants more cash as Tarp bails out Detroit
Hank Paulson, the US treasury secretary, has called for Congress to hand over the remainder of the $700 billion in taxpayer funds allocated to the Troubled Asset Relief Plan (Tarp). Paulson's pleas followed news that George W. Bush, the US president,…
Obama picks SEC head and Fed governor
Barack Obama, the US president-elect, has named Mary Schapiro, the chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), as the new head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The president-elect also appointed Daniel Tarullo,…
A new model for long-run risks
A paper from the Kansas City Federal Reserve devises a model long-run risks model where inflation risks and volatilities are in line with survey data.
Fed cut a psychological boost but little more
At face value, Tuesday's Federal Open Market Committee statement was an historic move that underlined the US central bank's commitment to do all it can to counter the crisis. But, though the statement met with widespread approval from the markets, it…
Fingers pointed at SEC in Madoff affair
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a leading American regulator, is under fire for failing to spot alleged investment fraud by Bernard Madoff.
Explaining female labour participation
This paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston examines the reasons for changes in the participation of married woman in the US labour market.
Fed floats bond issuance
The Federal Reserve is considering issuing its own bonds as a means to absorb the liquidity with which it has flooded markets as well as for fundraising purposes.
Fed's Kroszner on restoring confidence in MBS
Comprehensive and standardised loan-level data covering the entire pool of loans backing mortgage-backed securities (MBS) was needed so that the underlying credit quality could be analysed more easily, said Randall Kroszner, the governor of the Federal…
Fed "extremely reluctant" to bail out Detroit
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has indicated that the central bank would be extremely reluctant to prop up Detroit's ailing big-three car companies.
ECB's Bini Smaghi on the financial crisis
Blaming the current crisis on the United States might be tempting but would be a mistake, said Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a member of the executive board of the European Central Bank (ECB).
Ex-Fed staff divided on leaning against the wind
Four former senior Federal Reserve officials have offered four differing slants on one of the most hotly-debated topics in central banking.
Bankers get to put pressure on Bernanke & Co
An American company is giving Wall Street bankers the chance to squeeze Ben Bernanke, Alan Greenspan and Hank Paulson by immortalising the three figureheads of US finance in the form of stress balls.
From the frying pan to the fire
Emerging markets are feeling the pain of the credit crunch. But some are better placed to deal with the consequences, says Barry Eichengreen