FEDERAL RESERVE

As Congress rejected a delay in the implementation of debit card regulations for further study, RBC Capital Markets anticipates near term weakness in the shares of MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA) and Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) as it believes the consensus was for the delay to be approved.

This week we had two key central bank leaders discuss their views on the risk that the recent rise of inflation is more than simply transitory. And while the mandates that govern these two central banks are different, their views/actions can have significant impact on global currency movements.

The debate over whether the United States should stage a mini-debt default is largely a political one, although action must be taken on the country's fiscal situation, a top Federal Reserve official said on Thursday.

The Senate voted to keep a provision of last year's financial reform bill that caps fees on debit card transactions.

The wholesale market price of Gold Bullion continued to fall Wednesday morning, hitting $1533 per ounce - a 0.6% loss on the week - while stocks and commodities fell and US Treasuries rose following a speech on Tuesday by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday acknowledged the fact that the economy has slowed down, but offered no hint that the U.S. central bank might be considering any more stimulus to accelerate growth.

The economy hasn’t looked so good recently. The housing market is double dipping, corporate profits are starting to disappointment, and last Friday’s jobs report was beyond horrible.

Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke Speech At the International Monetary Conference, Atlanta, Ga. on June 7, 2011

The U.S. economic recovery is disappointingly slow, but it would have to weaken much further for the Federal Reserve to consider more monetary support, a top Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday.

Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher said on Tuesday there was ample liquidity in the U.S. financial system and no need for the U.S. central bank to continue its extremely easy monetary policy.

White House chief economist Austan Goolsbee is stepping down from his post and returning to teaching later this year, he said Monday; a setback for President Barack Obama as he tries to life the economy, Reuters reported.

The White House said on Monday it was disappointed Nobel Prize winner Peter Diamond's nomination to be a Federal Reserve governor was thwarted by partisan obstructionism and promised to name a new candidate soon.

The White House said on Monday it was disappointed Nobel Prize winner Peter Diamond's nomination to be a Federal Reserve governor was thwarted by partisan obstructionism and promised to name a new candidate soon.

Weak jobs figures on Friday do not change the fundamental outlook for the U.S. economy and monetary policy could be tightened by the end of the year, a top Federal Reserve official said on Monday.

Weak jobs figures on Friday do not change the fundamental outlook for the U.S. economy and monetary policy could be tightened by the end of the year, a top Federal Reserve official said on Monday.

The American public's swing from deflation to inflation worries in the past year is troubling as it suggests potential doubts about the Federal Reserve's ability to keep prices stable, a top Fed official said on Monday.

Nobel Prize winner Peter Diamond said on Sunday he planned to withdraw as a nominee for Federal Reserve governor, after his nomination was repeatedly attacked by Republicans.

A weaker than expected May jobs report and downward revisions to the March and April releases has rekindled fears of either a double dip recession or a stagflationary economic environment.

The Federal Reserve's balance sheet expanded to a record size in the latest week, as the central bank bought more bonds in an effort to support the economy, Fed data released on Thursday showed.

GOP Presidential candidate Texas Rep. Ron Paul warned of too much dictatorship in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday during a campaign stop in Mason City, Iowa.

Mitt Romney officially launched his bid to become President of the United States, assessing his President Barack Obama's record on helping the U.S. economy grow a failure.