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An offer they couldn't refuse

US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson's plan to buy troubled assets could prove the vital action in averting a financial meltdown. But only if the Treasury can take the right steps to put a floor under the market, says Claire Jones, the editor of Central…

More banks will fail if we don't act: Paulson

Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Hank Paulson, the US Treasury secretary, have told lawmakers that a failure to rush through proposals for the purchase of up to $700 billion-worth of distressed assets would cripple the US economy.

Reserve Bank of Australia - Annual Report 2007

The sound position of local banks was a major source of strength for the Australian financial system during last year, said Glenn Stevens, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, in the foreword the central bank's latest Annual Report.

What to look for in Paulson's plan

The sweeping arrangements from the US government to buy bad loans and assets from embattled financial institutions are expected to be announced late on Friday and the details will be discussed extensively over the weekend. Here is what to look out for.

Economists question initiative

Leading economists on Friday raised a number of questions about what was known or expected of the plan at the time. Most of the concerns related to how the government (either the Federal Reserve or the US Treasury) would determine at which price to buy…

Sparks fly between Cox and McCain

Christopher Cox, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and John McCain, the Republican president candidate, have clashed over McCain's comment that he would fire Cox if he were president.

Bank rescue - or protection racket?

Will 19 September 2008 go down in history as a day when wise and courageous politicians took the steps necessary to rescue the global banking system, or as the last throw of the dice? Maybe neither of these - maybe it will be remembered just as another…

The Fed's balance sheet and the US Treasury

The announcement on Wednesday that the United States Treasury is issuing debt - at the request of the Federal Reserve - to replenish the central bank's balance sheet, has raised questions about the health of the Fed's balance sheet. Here are some…

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