United States
Fed examines poverty
The Federal Reserve Board and the 12 regional banks have collaborated on a study looking at high-poverty neighbourhoods in the US and the challenges these communities face.
Crisis triggered US review of SWF stance
American attitudes to sovereign investments have softened in the wake of the credit crunch and funds should not fear a regulatory backlash once normal conditions are restored, the chairman of the US Congressional Task Force on Sovereign Wealth Funds has…
House-price fall precipitated subprime collapse
The reason for the raft of subprime defaults was a sudden fall in house prices, which made prepayment of loans a less attractive option, finds research from the St Louis Federal Reserve.
Fed $2.7bn down on Bear, GSE sell-off continues
The value of the assets held on the Federal Reserve's books as collateral for its $29 billion loan to failed investment bank Bear Stearns fell by 9.2% over the third quarter, it emerged Thursday. Data also showed foreign central banks flight from Fannie…
We were powerless to save Lehman, says Paulson
The US Treasury and the Federal Reserve had to let Lehman Brothers fail because the now-defunct investment bank did not have enough good collateral on its books to guarantee a Fed loan, Hank Paulson, the US treasury secretary, has said.
Greenspan backs bailout, more regulation
Alan Greenspan, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve seen as a fierce advocate of free markets, on Thursday said he supported both the US Treasury's $700 billion bailout plan and greater regulation of the financial system.
Obama turning to ex-Fed's Volcker on economy
Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for the United States presidency, is increasingly relying on Paul Volcker, a former chairman at the Federal Reserve, for advice on the economy, reports suggest.
Fed buys commercial paper from money-market funds
The Federal Reserve announced on Tuesday that it will start buying commercial paper from money-market mutual funds.
Chicago Fed looks at private equity trends
The latest Chicago Fed Letter contains a summary of a recent conference organised by the central bank on the current trends in the private equity industry.
Flight from Fannie, Freddie may cloud US outlook
Official institutions' flight from US agency debt could hamper the effectiveness of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's role in repairing the US mortgage market.
Ex-Fed's Poole: Treasury coercion may hinder plan
The US Treasury's decision to force some banks to participate in its plan to recapitalise America's banks could prove its undoing, warned Bill Poole, a former president of the St Louis Federal Reserve.
Fed's Beige Book a glum read
The latest edition of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, a guide to business conditions in the 12 districts overseen by the regional Feds, indicates that economic activity weakened in September across the US.
Bernanke, Kohn grim on outlook
Ben Bernanke and Don Kohn, the two top officials at the Federal Reserve, have forecast a gloomy outlook for the American economy.
SF Fed's Yellen: US in recession
The US economy appears to be in recession as every major part of the economy has been hit by the financial shock, said Janet Yellen, the president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve.
A better approach to prediction
The Philadelphia Federal Reserve has developed what it believes to be a superior approach to forecasting a range of macroeconomic variables.
Fed picks Pimco to run commercial paper facility
The Federal Reserve has picked Pimco, a bond fund, to manage the assets of its Commercial Paper Funding Facility, which accepts unsecured debt notes direct from the issuer.
US offers $250bn in capital, markets shrug
Washington's unveiling of a $250 billion plan to recapitalise its banking sector did little to soothe equity-market sentiment on Tuesday, with gains at the opening bell proving short-lived.
Fannie, Freddie debt fears could have sparked run
Central bankers' fears over the collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac threatened to lead to sales of US agency debt, the scale of which could have sparked a run, the US regulator responsible for the two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) has said.
US bailout to include "significant" equity stake
The US Treasury is likely to spend a very significant amount of the $700 billion at its disposal on recapitalising the US's battered banking sector, an official who will oversee the Troubled Asset Relief Plan (TARP) told an audience in London on Monday.
Rosengren on aid to money market funds
Eric Rosengren, the president of the Boston Federal Reserve, argued that many assumptions about the financial system have proven to be seriously flawed.
Paulson hints at possible bank recapitalisation
Hank Paulson, the US Treasury secretary, has indicated that America is likely to attempt to recapitalise its ailing banks.
Fed offers more support to world's biggest insurer
The Federal Reserve has loaned American International Group (AIG), the world's biggest insurer, an additional $37.8 billion, taking the size of beleaguered company's borrowing facility with the central bank up to $122.8 billion.
Bernanke on economic and financial conditions
Ben Bernanke, the chairman for the Federal Reserve, set out the reasoning behind policies towards Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG as well as the Treasury bailout in a speech to the National Association for Business Economics.
FOMC September minutes: balancing risks
Both downside risks to growth and upside risks to inflation were a significant concern to the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the minutes from the 16 September meeting reported.