Ben S. Bernanke

Good morning. As a rule, I try not to read too terribly much into a “Fed Day” as there is usually a big batch of volatility that may or may not mean much of anything come the dawn of the next day. Maybe, it’s just me. Or maybe there are others that find themselves inclined to simply stand aside and watch the nuttiness from the sidelines on “Fed Days.” But in any event, the volatility after a Fed announcement, while fun to watch, may not be telling as to what to expect in the future.

But if volatility is the name of your game, then yesterday’s “Fed Day” was your kind of day. We got a rally of nearly 150 points out of the gate then a dive after the Fed statement, a quick bounce back up of 90 points to the high of the day, and then a plunge ...

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- In a conference at the Brookings Institution, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said, "from a technical perspective the recession is very likely over." His statement announced the end of the greatest financial crash since the Great Depression. While the worst may be behind us, the lessons of the Great Recession will be relevant forever. From Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme to the collapse of the housing and financial markets, people across the US have been confronted with the consequences of hyper-consumption and greed. "If there's anything we can ...

The U.S. Federal Reserve has stuck to its commitment to keep the borrowing costs near zero for an "extended period."

The central bank expressed that the economic recovery was growing, despite its unanimous vote to keep the interest rates in a range of zero to 0.25 percent.

In a statement announcing the decision the Fed said it "continues ...

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in September suggests that economic activity has continued to pick up. Conditions in financial markets were roughly unchanged, on balance, over the intermeeting period. Activity in the housing sector has increased over recent months. Household spending appears to be expanding but remains constrained by ongoing job losses, sluggish income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. Businesses are still cutting back on fixed investment and staffing, though at a slower pace; they continue to make progress in bringing inventory stocks into better alignment with sales ...

NEW YORK, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Global investors and analysts are concerned about taking on more risk due to skepticism over U.S. economic policies and its banking system despite an eight-month rally in the global stock markets, according to the Bloomberg Global Poll, a quarterly survey of economic, financial and political attitudes among BLOOMBERG PROFESSIONAL® service users worldwide. Nearly 75 percent of those surveyed see the world economy improving, up from just over 60 percent in July, while 40 percent of respondents say they are still cautious about taking on risk, and 31 percent see investment opportunities. The majority of investors polled also view the U.S. as the weak link in the world economy, with its markets among the riskiest, and 37 ...