Ben Bernanke – News Stories About Ben Bernanke - Page 15

MARKETS

Feb 14, 2008 3:46 PM CST

Stocks Sink on Fed Comments

Bernanke sees weak growth because of credit trouble

(Newser) - The markets fell today after three days of growth as the Fed warned that continuing credit trouble will restrain the economy and several top brokerage firms saw their earnings estimates reduced, MarketWatch reports. The Dow slid 175.26 points to 12,376.98, the Nasdaq dropped 41.39 to 2,...

Bernanke Suggests Rate Cuts Ahead

Feb 14, 2008 9:20 AM CST

Bernanke Suggests Rate Cuts Ahead

Fed chief sees threats from employment, housing, credit

(Newser) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled today that further interest rate cuts might be necessary, citing continuing fallout from the credit and housing market collapses, reports the Wall Street Journal. Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee he expected "a period of sluggish growth, followed by a somewhat stronger pace...

Streeters Give Ben Bad Grades

Feb 6, 2008 5:29 PM CST

Streeters Give Ben Bad Grades

Fed chair faulted for bad choices

(Newser) - Economists went negative on Ben Bernanke in a new Wall Street Journal survey, grading the Fed chief at 75 out of 100 points—the lowest mark in two years on the job—and saying he had managed communications poorly and was too attentive to bears and bulls. One watcher said...

Fed Cuts Key Rate by
Half Point

Jan 30, 2008 1:24 PM CST

Fed Cuts Key Rate by Half Point

Officials signal further cuts possible as overnight lending rate hits 3%

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by a half percentage point today, reports the Wall Street Journal, bringing the benchmark overnight lending rate down to 3% even as officials signaled that further cuts were possible. The widely anticipated move follows last week's emergency .75% cut to a rate...

Economic Growth Slowed
to a Crawl in Q4

Jan 30, 2008 9:02 AM CST

Economic Growth Slowed to a Crawl in Q4

Economy in far worse shape than analysts predicted

(Newser) - Economic growth braked so violently in the fourth quarter of 2007 that it wiped out a stellar third quarter, dragging annual growth to a 5-year low. Last quarter’s 0.6% GDP growth—after 4.9% pace in Q3—was just half what analysts expected, as the housing component plummeted...

How Low Will Bernanke Go?

Jan 24, 2008 9:29 AM CST

How Low Will Bernanke Go?

Fed meets Wednesday to decide if another rate cut is needed right now

(Newser) - The Fed’s emergency three-quarter percentage-point cut Tuesday to the short-term interest rate was a boon to US markets, but whether the Fed will go lower in its interest-rate lambada remains to be seen. Most analysts expect a half-point cut, to 3%, at the Fed's meeting Wednesday, reports the Wall ...

Did Fed Freak With Emergency Rate Cut?

OPINION

Jan 23, 2008 10:13 AM CST

Did Fed Freak With Emergency Rate Cut?

Decision smacks of panic—and worse trouble yet to come

(Newser) - Yesterday's steep interest rate cut—just a week ahead of a scheduled policy meeting—made the staid Federal Reserve come across as spooked and jumpy, leaving many to wonder if the Fed knows of worse news to come, Reuters' Ros Krasny writes. The surprise .75-point cut "is a declaration...

Bush Pitches $145B in
Tax Relief

Jan 18, 2008 11:54 AM CST

Bush Pitches $145B in Tax Relief

Stimulus plan includes business incentives, individual rebates

(Newser) - President Bush today called for a $145 billion stimulus package to stop the economy from sliding into a recession, the Wall Street Journal reports. A bipartisan plan loaded with compromises is likely in the near future. Valued at 1% of GDP—and in line with dollar amounts suggested by the...

Bernanke Can't Rally Markets

Jan 18, 2008 4:00 AM CST

Bernanke Can't Rally Markets

Dow Jones drops another 3% as economic data puts black cloud over Wall Street

(Newser) - Signs the housing market black hole was worsening and pulling down the rest of the economy spurred the DJIA to slide another 3% yesterday as investors decided a federal rescue plan was too late to help, reports the New York Times. Even reassuring words from Fed Chair Ben Bernanke that...

Dow Plummets 306.95 Points

MARKETS

Jan 17, 2008 3:42 PM CST

Dow Plummets 306.95 Points

Manufacturing, home starts news send markets way down

(Newser) - The Dow plunged 306.95 points to 12.159.21 today, its third straight sell-off and worst loss of the new year, as rough numbers put investors in a bearish mood. The key index has now fallen more than 1,000 points since 2008 began. Merrill Lynch posted a huge...

Bernanke Backs Quick Bailout

Jan 17, 2008 10:50 AM CST

Bernanke Backs Quick Bailout

Fast, temporary stimulus would buoy flagging economy, Fed chief tells Congress

(Newser) - The country needs a federal stimulus package ASAP, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told the House Budget Committee today, advocating immediate legislation designed “so its effects on aggregate spending are felt as much as possible within the next 12 months.” But he said the package should be “...

Bernanke Backs Stimulus Plans for Economy

Jan 16, 2008 7:51 PM CST

Bernanke Backs Stimulus Plans for Economy

Fed chief wants aid package that's quick and temporary

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke insists he won’t take sides in a congressional fray over how to revive the nation’s flat-lining economy. But the Fed chief says he will support an economic stimulus package—be it GOP tax cuts or Democrats' increased spending—as long as it is quick and temporary,...

Retail Sales In Surprise Swoon

Jan 15, 2008 8:42 AM CST

Retail Sales In Surprise Swoon

Sales drop 0.4% in Dec.; consumers finally slowed by housing woes, gas prices

(Newser) - Retail sales fell 0.4% in December, an unexpected drop that capped off retailers’ worst year since 2002 and is sure to fuel rampant recession fears. “Consumer spending slowed down pretty dramatically,” one economist tells Bloomberg. “We are kind of flying very close to a stall speed....

Bernanke Hints at Hefty Interest Rate Cuts

Jan 10, 2008 1:30 PM CST

Bernanke Hints at Hefty Interest Rate Cuts

Fed hopes to thwart troubled markets, unemployment

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve may make "substantive" cuts to interest rates later this month in the face of rising economic difficulties, Ben Bernanke said today. Citing troubled financial markets and rising unemployment, the Fed chairman implied that it might drop its target short-term interest rate by .5% from 4.25%....

Fed Remains Open to More Rate Cuts

Jan 2, 2008 7:33 PM CST

Fed Remains Open to More Rate Cuts

Minutes from last meeting display growing concern about markets

(Newser) - Fed officials will consider deeper rate cuts and a "substantial further easing of policy" if the turmoil in the credit and housing markets continues, according to minutes of last month's meeting. Officials displayed surprise at the extent of the housing crisis and acknowledged that market strains "could persist...

Fed Cracks Down on
Loose Lending

Dec 18, 2007 7:43 PM CST

Fed Cracks Down on Loose Lending

Unanimous vote marks historic shift toward regulation

(Newser) - Seeking to avoid another subprime meltown, the Federal Reserve cracked down on mortgage lending today by a unanimous 5-0 vote, the Wall Street Journal reports. If approved next year, the Fed proposals will require creditors to consider borrowers' financial and credit status, but will not prohibit prepayment penalties altogether, a...

Nov. Retail Sales Up 1.2%; Sky May Not Be Falling

Dec 13, 2007 10:09 AM CST

Nov. Retail Sales Up 1.2%; Sky May Not Be Falling

(Newser) - November’s retail sales confounded doomsayers, surging 1.2%, twice the 0.6% analysts predicted, Bloomberg reports. Many had worried that consumer spending would take a hit as gas rose and housing fell, but now it looks like job and income growth could cushion the fall. “The numbers should...

Techs Put Damper on Optimism

MARKETS

Nov 30, 2007 3:38 PM CST

Techs Put Damper on Optimism

Dell's struggles narrow Bernanke boost

(Newser) - The markets closed up today on rumors of a coming interest rate cut, but bad news in the tech sector limited gains. The Dow climbed 59.99 points to 13,371.72, but only after a negative forecast from Dell erased a sizable morning rally. The S&P 500 climbed...

Bernanke Hints at Rate Cut

Nov 29, 2007 7:18 PM CST

Bernanke Hints at Rate Cut

Fed chief expresses concern about housing, financial markets

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke signaled tonight that the Fed is ready to cut interest rates again to help the struggling economy, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Fed chief said the nation's housing troubles and its offshoots are straining the economy and financial markets and will "create some headwinds for the...

The 'R-Word' Surfaces on Wall Street

Nov 27, 2007 12:38 PM CST

The 'R-Word' Surfaces on Wall Street

'Odds of a recession are pretty damn high,' says analyst

(Newser) - Wall Street has the recession jitters: Markets are down 10% since October, the S&P 500 is down as analysts predict depressed earnings, and T-bills are down on anticipated Fed rate cuts. But there’s a flip side: Holiday sales gained 8.3% over 2006, unemployment is at 4.7%,...