Minutes of the Federal Reserve Board's January meeting confirm that current board governors are divided on engaging in another round of bond purchasing, but they also portrayed the central bank leaders as agreed on the propriety of ultra-low interest rates.
Federal Reserve policymakers are turning to cars to illustrate just how split they are over what, if anything, to do about the U.S. economy, with some eying the brake pedal and others the gas.
Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher had a message for Wall Street on Wednesday: don't expect more from the U.S. central bank.
Hedge fund manager and long-time gold bull John Paulson cut his gold ETF bullion holdings by about $600 million in the fourth quarter, a second straight reduction that was likely driven by client redemption needs as he remained upbeat on the metal.
An important leading indicator on the state of national manufacturing revealed a high level of optimism in that economic category, suggesting the recovery underway in that sector could become a rolling trend.
A gauge of manufacturing in New York State picked up in February to its highest level in more than 1-1/2 years, though the pace of new orders slowed, the New York Federal Reserve said in a report on Wednesday.
The Federal Reserve unanimously approved Capital One Financial (COF)'s $9.2 billion purchase of ING Groep NV (INGA)'s online banking unit in the United States, sealing the biggest merger since the Dodd-Frank law enacted stricter reviews of such deals.
The Fed revised December's industrial output to show a solid 1.0 percent increase instead of the previously reported 0.4 percent gain, pointing to underlying strength in the economy. Economists polled by Reuters had expected industrial production to increase 0.7 percent last month .
Stock index futures rose Wednesday, buoyed by comments from China's central bank chief that the country would keep investing in euro zone debt and better-than-expected data from Germany and France.
Stock index futures pointed to a higher open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 rising 0.5 to 0.6 percent.
Gold dropped on Tuesday as the dollar rallied versus the euro onrenewed fears of credit downgrades in major European economies and uncertainty over Greece's bailout.
One frequent criticism of the Occupy movement was its lack of coherence in formulating demands. Today, the 99 Percent Declaration puts an end to those assertions.
The Bank of Japan said Tuesday it increased its asset buying program by $130 billion and set an inflation target of one percent to stimulate economic growth and combat deflation.
The U.S. Federal Reserve should do all it can to reduce very high unemployment and bring inflation back up to more desirable levels, a top Fed official said on Monday.
A number of top Federal Reserve officials likely saw a need for additional monetary easing at the central bank's meeting last month, although there are few signals the central bank will move soon.
Economically inclined Twitter users flocked to the hashtag #FedValentines on Friday, pairing references to the Federal Reserve with the romantic holiday, which arrives on Tuesday.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday issued a call to action to restore U.S. housing markets, saying depressed house prices and sales are a serious drag on the economic recovery.
The head of the U.S. central bank, in his second public statement on housing policy in as many weeks, told an audience of residential builders Friday that creditors who own vacant homes should consider renting the properties as a way to stanch urban blight.
U.S. GDP is projected to grow at an annual rate of 2.2 percent this quarter, lower than a previous estimate, according to a survey by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve, released on Friday.
The Philadelphia Federal Reserve released a survey Friday that suggests the employment rate will drop further as 2012 progresses. Currently the unemployment rate in the country hovers near 8.5 percent.
Consumers are feeling relatively upbeat about where the economy will be six months from now, but right now, after maxing out their credit card and perhaps purchasing a big-ticket item over the holidays, they're planning on sticking to a budget. Those are the main findings from a preliminary survey of February consumer confidence conducted by the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters, which was released Friday morning.
Futures on major U.S. indices point to a lower opening Friday after eurozone finance ministers asked Athens for more cuts to release the second bailout package.
