After three months of rallying, the stock market seems to have hit the wall.
Key Senate negotiators have reached a deal on legislation targeting credit card rates and fees, the lead Democratic senator on the issue said Monday.
A bill that targets credit card rate hikes and fees is headed for a final showdown in the Senate as key lawmakers negotiate a possible compromise measure.
The Federal Reserve may have cut its key short-term interest rate to the lowest level on record, but that doesn't mean credit will be any easier to get.
The U.S. dollar fell to a 13-year low against the yen and weakened against the euro Wednesday, a day after the Federal Reserve cut its key short-term interest rates to historic lows.
The U.S. dollar fell sharply against major currencies Tuesday after the Federal Reserve announced its decision to cut interest rates.
It wasn't that long ago that the dollar was strengthening against the once-mighty euro, leading anyone that could still afford a plane ticket to Paris to celebrate that they could suddenly get more baguettes for their buck.
Oil prices tumbled Tuesday after the Federal Reserve lowered its key interest rate and said economic conditions remain weak, underscoring concerns about faltering demand for energy.
Forget about inflation. The opposite threat - deflation - is what has policymakers sweating now.
The U.S. dollar fell sharply against the euro and the pound Tuesday as rising stock prices increased investor's appetite for the higher-yielding currencies.
After three months of rallying, the stock market seems to have hit the wall.
Key Senate negotiators have reached a deal on legislation targeting credit card rates and fees, the lead Democratic senator on the issue said Monday.
A bill that targets credit card rate hikes and fees is headed for a final showdown in the Senate as key lawmakers negotiate a possible compromise measure.
The Federal Reserve may have cut its key short-term interest rate to the lowest level on record, but that doesn't mean credit will be any easier to get.
The U.S. dollar fell to a 13-year low against the yen and weakened against the euro Wednesday, a day after the Federal Reserve cut its key short-term interest rates to historic lows.
The U.S. dollar fell sharply against major currencies Tuesday after the Federal Reserve announced its decision to cut interest rates.
It wasn't that long ago that the dollar was strengthening against the once-mighty euro, leading anyone that could still afford a plane ticket to Paris to celebrate that they could suddenly get more baguettes for their buck.
Oil prices tumbled Tuesday after the Federal Reserve lowered its key interest rate and said economic conditions remain weak, underscoring concerns about faltering demand for energy.
Forget about inflation. The opposite threat - deflation - is what has policymakers sweating now.
The U.S. dollar fell sharply against the euro and the pound Tuesday as rising stock prices increased investor's appetite for the higher-yielding currencies.
The Federal Reserve's latest move raises fewer cheers, more questions and new risks
Stocks rallied Tuesday as investors focused on the positive implications for the economy in the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates steady, and on diminishing fears about AIG's solvency.
The release of U.S. retail sales and oil's turn up didn't halt dollar momentum Wednesday, and the rout of the British pound continued amid England's economic woes
The European Central Bank and the Bank of England both left their benchmark interest rates unchanged Thursday as they ponder how best to steer their economies between the shoals of mounting inflation and slowing growth
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke talked about the risks posed by both further economic weakness as well as inflation in testimony to Congress last month.
There are two things you may have heard about the Federal Reserve Board, both of which are wrong.
If you have a mortgage, carry credit cards and are considering a home equity loan to cope with soaring food and energy prices, you should be paying attention to what the Fed has to say.
When the Fed concludes a two-day meeting, it is expected that the central bank will express more concerns about inflation and in that way signal that rate increases could be on the way
Ben Bernanke better hope the market doesn't call his bluff.
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point Tuesday, but don't expect mortgage rates to go down too. In fact, home loans could be heading higher.
Dear FSB: How do the Fed rate cuts affect business loans, if at all? Say I take out a loan for several hundred thousand dollars to buy a small business. What criteria is used to set the interest rate on the loan?
Stocks jumped Wednesday as investors welcomed the Federal Reserve's stance that the economy can avoid a recession, despite slower growth, rising unemployment and more pricing pressures.
Treasury prices edged lower Wednesday afternoon after the Federal Reserve announced its decision to lower interest rates in response to growing fears of a U.S. recession.
Interest rates are headed lower. But how low can they go?
Stocks rallied Wednesday, with the Dow bouncing back from a more than 300-point loss earlier in the session as investors jumped back into a variety of sectors after the recent battering.
Stocks ended lower Tuesday, but off the worst levels of the session as worries about a global economic slowdown eased and investors continued to sort through the implications of the Fed's emergency interest-rate cut.
Investors are anticipating that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates for the third consecutive time at its next meeting on Tuesday, as Wall Street continues to grapple with concerns about the housing market and fears of a recession.
Stocks clung to modest gains Monday morning, as investors eyed oil prices near record highs above $93 a barrel, ahead of the start of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting.
Technology led a broader stock advance Friday, as Microsoft's upbeat earnings and Countrywide's optimistic outlook overshadowed any potential worries about a plunging dollar and surging oil and gold prices.
Stocks rallied Friday in a broad-based surge, as Microsoft's upbeat earnings and Countrywide's optimistic outlook trumped worries about a plunging dollar and surging oil and gold prices.
Stocks gained Wednesday morning, as investors welcomed news that General Motors has reached a deal with its union workers to end the two-day strike.
Six major banks lowered their prime rates by half of a percentage point Tuesday after the Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate.
Stocks rallied early Tuesday afternoon as investors welcomed Lehman Brothers' earnings and a mild reading on wholesale inflation ahead of an expected interest-rate cut from the Federal Reserve.
Stocks slipped Monday, one day ahead of a key Federal Reserve policy meeting, as investors worried that the central bank won't cut interest rates by as much as they had hoped.
Stocks slipped Monday afternoon, one day ahead of a key Federal Reserve policy meeting, as investors worried that the central bank won't cut interest rates by as much as has been hoped.
Stocks slipped Monday afternoon as investors worried that Federal Reserve policy makers won't cut a key short-term interest rate by as much as has been hoped when they meet to discuss policy on Tuesday.
Stocks slumped Monday morning as investors eyed a regulatory setback for Microsoft and worried that Federal Reserve policy makers may not cut interest rates Tuesday by as much as has been hoped.
Friday's weak August payrolls report raised bets that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates by a half-percentage point when it meets next week. On Monday, a barrage of Fed speakers sought to disabuse investors of that notion.
Subsiding credit market concerns and upbeat earnings from tech bellwether Cisco sent stocks higher Wednesday.
HAS A BEAR MARKET ALREADY STARTED? It's sure beginning to look that way. After advancing for the first four months of the year, the S&P 500 has more than given back its gains. And the Nasdaq is dow...
Treasury prices surged and the dollar sank Friday after a monthly jobs report came in weaker than expected, fanning expectations the Federal Reserve will consider ending its rate hiking campaign when it meets later this month.
The Federal Reserve raised a key interest rate again Wednesday - the 16th straight increase - but the central bank didn't give Wall Street what it had hoped for: a definitive answer about what to expect in the coming months.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Alan Greenspan's tenure as chairman of the Federal Reserve is drawing to a close...and with that, the Fed's current cycle of raising interest rates may be nearing an end as well.
Treasuries pared earlier gains Tuesday after Fed officials warned about inflation, cementing expectations of further short-term interest rate hikes.
SALEM, Ore. (CNN/Money) - Homebuyers and homeowners can't count on the mortgage market ignoring the Fed forever.
How are individuals affected when the Federal Reserve raises interest rates?
The U.S. economy rode out $55 a barrel oil last fall. But some economists say that the latest spike in that key commodity poses a greater threat to the nation's economic growth.
Guessing where the economy is going is like predicting the weather—an iffy proposition at best. A case in point: the Federal Reserve, which since the middle of this year has been pushing up short-t...
The old adage "three steps and a stumble" still has fans on Wall Street, but some analysts think it's ready for the glue factory.
There's nothing like money in the bank. That's why many savvy investors look to lock in a certain amount of yield when they're designing a portfolio, no matter the market cycle.
This column originally ran on April 15, 2004, and has been updated.
Though the Federal Reserve decided to leave short-term interest rates alone on Tuesday, an increase is expected later this year.
This week's economic data showed that the continuing recovery is creating the kind of pressures that precede a rise in inflation. And Wednesday's report of a March uptick in the consumer price index confirmed the trend.
In the wake of another head-scratching Federal Reserve policy pronouncement, Wall Street was abuzz again Thursday with a long-running debate: Is the Fed dumb, or crazy like a fox?
If I had to make all of my investment decisions based on one single indicator, I'd pick the yield curve--the relationship among interest rates on debt of varying maturities. In particular, the diff...
In Greek mythology, Hydra was a many-headed monster, devilishly difficult to kill. Cut off one head, and two grew in its place. Lately the U.S. economy has seemed a bit like Hydra. Consumers are on...
Whatever happens next, the Great Asian Slump is already one for the record books. Never in the course of economic events--not even in the early years of the Depression--has so large a part of the w...
Federal Reserve policy meetings used to be big news events, preceded by drum rolls of market speculation over whether chairman Alan Greenspan and his pals were about to raise or lower interest rate...
The long-term outlook for the U.S. economy is little short of brilliant: Inflation is low, workers' productivity is soaring, and U.S. companies are more competitive than they have been since the 19...
THIS MONTH: --Avoid money funds that slash your yield with greedy fees. --Grab the new higher returns on savings bonds.
William McChesney Martin, Federal Reserve Board chairman from 1951 to 1970, aptly described his job as being "the chaperone who takes away the punch bowl when the party gets going good." In other w...
Hardly anyone will venture an opinion about the capacity utilization rate, or whether the supplier-delivery index is too high or too low. But everybody seems to think they know exactly where short-...
AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS page is a modest little graph that could make you a smarter investor. It is known as the yield curve and, despite the name, it has nothing to do with merging traffic or bends ...
THE REVERBERATING boom in the bond market was one of the big investment surprises of 1995. Often considered mere defensive afterthoughts by investors, bonds produced returns almost as fat as those ...
It's not the kind of event that makes the evening news. But a powerful, sustained drop in long-term U.S. interest rates is now under way, promising good things ahead for investors and for the econo...
Remember the good old days when the Bank of Mom & Dad was your best source for quick cash? Well, smart borrowers know that home is still where the money is. "Competition among home-equity lenders h...
Thanks, Alan, we needed that. Not every American may think so, but most economists do, even after the Federal Reserve's mid-August action sent short- term interest rates to their highest levels sin...
A cloud has formed over the economic outlook at midyear. Far out of the view of ordinary consumers and businesses, traders in turbulent multitrillion- dollar global financial markets are pushing U....
Funny thing about interest rates: Whichever way they move, somebody's unhappy. Since 1990, when they began flying steadily south, the losers have been conservative investors with a need for income....
The stock and bond markets suddenly look like scary places to put money you can't afford to lose. Does this replay sound familiar? After dithering while bank CD rates shrank to next to nothing, you...
It's only a matter of time. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan's loudly proclaimed decision in early February to raise short-term interest rates signals the beginning of the end for the record...
Picking the most promising mutual funds can be about as difficult as forecasting the weather a year from now. However, it can often be done if you follow the clues buried in every fund's performanc...
On Wall Street these days, it's economically correct to say inflation is dead. After all, consumer prices rose only 2.9% last year, and most experts don't think inflation will rise much above 3% in...
All the uncertainties facing business planners, policymakers, and consumers come together in the dollar. Surging oil prices and a Marx brothers budget struggle unnerved the already skittish foreign...
Even before Saddam Hussein and the latest round of dismal economic statistics kneecapped the market, it was buckling after its four hops above 3000 in mid- July. Now that the oil shock is spreading...
In the past six months, investors have poured close to $3 billion into a heavily promoted new brand of mutual fund known as prime-rate trusts. And why not? Judging from their sales literature, the ...
Investors who believe the end is in sight for rising money-market yields are poised to shift their money elsewhere. But where? Many forecasters believe money fund yields have peaked and are headed ...
The U.S. government spews out economic data faster than Roseanne Barr tosses off barbed one-liners. Although the statistics are sometimes confusing or can seem irrelevant to everyday life, ignoring...
You'd surely pay attention if someone offered you a subscription to an | advisory service that could dramatically boost your investment earnings, lower your borrowing costs and even warn you in adv...
Investors and savers seeking safe, high yields have a rare chance to cash in on extraordinary interest rates. Every four years or so, when the economy begins to overheat, the Federal Reserve pushes...
The bond market is up to its new tricks again, bucking like a young bull. Long-term interest rates have fallen nearly two percentage points since October, rewarding holders of bonds and bond funds ...
Investors who need income to help support their standard of living naturally gravitate toward bond funds. Unlike growth-oriented equity investments that seek capital gains and are unpredictable, fi...
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