Jul 11 WATCH: Powell says Fed prepared to keep economy in a 'very good place' By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's comments before the Senate Banking Committee strengthened the message he had sent to a House panel on Wednesday that the central bank is prepared to cut interest rates to support economic growth. Continue reading
Jul 10 Watch 5:20 News Wrap: Fed signals impending interest rate reduction In our news wrap Wednesday, the Federal Reserve gave its strongest signal yet that an interest rate cut is coming. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said growing economic "uncertainty" makes the case for a rate reduction, which would be the first… Continue watching
Jul 10 WATCH: Fed chair Jerome Powell says rate cut likely coming soon By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press The chairman's remarks led investors to send stock prices up, bond yields down and the value of the U.S. dollar lower on expectations of lower interest rates. The S&P 500 index briefly traded over 3,000 for the first time. Continue reading
Jul 05 Fed repeats pledge to 'act as appropriate' to sustain economic expansion By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press The Federal Reserve on Friday repeated its pledge to "act as appropriate" to sustain the current economic expansion, now the longest in U.S. history, while noting that most Fed officials have lowered their expectations for the future course of interest… Continue reading
Jun 19 Watch 6:45 News Wrap: Hope Hicks appears before House Judiciary Committee In our news wrap Wednesday, former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks was interviewed by the House Judiciary Committee--the first senior administration official cited in the Mueller report to appear before Congress. But Democrats said she refused to discuss her… Continue watching
Jun 19 Watch 5:12 Why the Fed kept interest rates steady for now, despite pressure from Trump The Federal Reserve says it's holding its benchmark interest rate steady, despite ongoing pressure from President Trump to reduce it. But Fed Chairman Jay Powell expressed openness to the idea of cutting rates if economic indicators warrant. He also recently… Continue watching
Jun 19 WATCH: Fed leaves its key rate unchanged but hints at future cuts By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press The Federal Reserve signaled that it's prepared to start cutting rates if needed to protect the U.S. economy from trade conflicts and other threats. Continue reading
Jun 10 Trump complains about Fed's policies and independence By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press President Trump made clear in an interview with CNBC his frustration with a system that provides political independence for America's central bank — something most economists see as vital to its credibility. Continue reading
Jun 07 Watch 5:18 How shakier U.S. jobs numbers could become a self-fulfilling prophecy May's jobs report showed more signs of slowing economic growth in the U.S. The Labor Department reported a net gain of 75,000 jobs -- just a third of the total for the previous month. That change is set against a… Continue watching
May 21 Fed Chair Powell sees 'moderate' risk from corporate debt By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press Fed Chair Jerome Powell said views about riskier corporate debt — known as leveraged lending — range from "this is a rerun of the subprime mortgage crisis" to "nothing to worry about here."… Continue reading