Fed Cuts Interest Rate 3/4 of a Point

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Nov 20, 2005
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The Federal Reserve unexpectedly slashed a key interest rate by a bold three-fourths of a percentage point on Tuesday, responding to a global plunge in stock markets that heightened concerns about a recession. The Fed signaled that further rate cuts were likely.

The reduction in the federal funds rate from 4.25 percent down to 3.5 percent marked the biggest reduction in this target rate for overnight loans on records going back to 1990. It marked the first time that the Fed has changed rates between meetings since 2001, when the central bank was battling the combined impacts of a recession and the terrorist attacks.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues approved the large rate cut after an emergency video conference on Monday night, a day when global markets had been pounded by rising concerns that weakness in the world's largest economy was spreading worldwide.

Despite the Fed's bold move, Wall Street plunged at the opening with the Dow Jones industrial average down 465 points before stocks began to rebound. The Dow was down 120 points in afternoon trading, an indication that the Fed's effort to calm markets was having an impact.

In a brief statement explaining its move, the Fed said that "appreciable downside risks to growth remain" and officials pledged to "act in a timely manner" to deal with the risks facing the economy. The action was approved on an 8-1 vote.

Analysts said the fact that the Fed did not wait until its meeting next week to cut rates underscored the seriousness of the situation.

"The world's stock markets are in meltdown so the Fed came in with an inter-meeting move to try to stop the panic," Christopher Rupkey, senior economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.

The Bush administration, which had announced on Friday that President Bush supported a $150 billion economic stimulus package, said Tuesday that it was not ruling out doing more than the $150 billion proposal if necessary. Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson were conferring with congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday, with all sides saying they want to reach agreement quickly.

The Fed was expected to cut rates further, possibly as soon as their next meeting on Jan. 29-30, if there are continued signs that the economy is weakening.

"This move by the Fed was essential," said Lyle Gramley, a former Fed governor who is now a senior analyst with the Stanford Financial Group in Washington. "Bernanke promised in a speech earlier this month to take substantive action in a timely and decisive manner."

Gramley said that Bernanke was now exercising the kind of forceful leadership the markets had been hoping to see since the credit crisis hit in August.

David Jones, chief economist at DMJ Advisors, said Fed officials have a range of options available at next week's meeting from a quarter-point move to a half-point move to holding rates steady but indicating the Fed is prepared to move again between meetings should conditions deteriorate further. Jones predicted the Fed would lower the funds rate to 3 percent by the end of March.

In addition to cutting the funds rate, the Fed said it was reducing its discount rate, the interest it charges to make direct loans to banks, by a similar three-quarters of a percentage point, pushing this rate down to 4 percent.

Commercial banks responded to the Fed's action on the funds rate by announcing similar cuts of three-quarter of a percent on its prime lending rate, the benchmark for millions of business and consumer loans. The action will mean the prime lending rate will drop from 7.25 percent down to 6.50 percent.

Global financial markets had plunged Monday as investors grew more concerned about the possibility that the United States, the world's largest economy, could be headed into a recession. Many markets suffered their biggest declines since the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

In its statement, the Fed said it had decided to cut the federal funds rate "in view of a weakening of the economic outlook and increasing downside risks to growth."

The central bank said that the strains in short-term credit markets have eased a bit, but "broader financial market conditions have continued to deteriorate and credit has tightened further for some businesses and households. Moreover, incoming information indicates a deepening of the housing contraction as well as some softening in labor markets."

Before Tuesday's move, the Fed had cut interest rates three times, beginning in September, the month after a severe credit crunch had roiled Wall Street and global financial markets. The Fed cut the funds rate by a half-point in September and then by smaller quarter-point moves in October and December.

"The committee will continue to assess the effects of financial and other developments on economic prospects and will act in a timely manner as needed to address those risk," the Fed statement said.

The Fed's action was approved on an 8-1 vote with William Poole, president the Fed's regional bank, dissenting. The statement said that Poole objected because he did not believe current conditions justified a rate move before the Fed's meeting next week.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
~k.
 
Feb 8, 2006
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and the Dow still closed -128.11

acts of despereration, but macroeconomics isn't something that makes a lot of sense to most people
 
Jul 10, 2002
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I'm busy as hell, holla if you need a refi...

Asian Markets Rebound on Fed Rate Cut
Wednesday January 23, 1:47 am ET
By Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer
Most Asian Markets Rebound From Recent Plunge As Investors Cheer Surprise US Interest Rate Cut


TOKYO (AP) -- Most Asian markets rebounded Wednesday, reversing their recent gut-wrenching plunge as investors welcomed a hefty, surprise interest rate cut overnight by the U.S. Federal Reserve to shore up the sagging American economy.
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But analysts said volatile swings were expected to linger for some time because the Fed's quick action, at an emergency meeting, was seen by some as a sign American authorities view the U.S. credit crunch as a very serious problem.

"The Fed's action provided a very positive surprise," said Tsuyoshi Segawa, strategist at Shinko Securities Co. in Tokyo. "But people are also starting to think that things may be so bad they needed to act."

As the day progressed, many Asian markets trimmed their initial, robust gains, and some even dropped into negative territory.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index was up 1.7 percent in afternoon trading after jumping 3.4 percent earlier, recouping some of its 9.3 percent loss the last two days. Australia's benchmark index rebounded 4.4 percent, snapping a 12-day losing streak.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index -- which had plummeted 13.6 percent the last two days -- surged 7.5 percent at the opening before trimming gains to be up 5.3 percent by midday.

India's Sensex index jumped 4.6 percent at the opening before slipping back slightly.

Stocks in Singapore and Thailand, meanwhile, were down modestly.

Fears of a U.S. recession, which would likely erode demand for Asian exports, has battered the region's markets since the start of the year. The sell-offs accelerated Monday and Tuesday amid skepticism that a stimulus package announced by President Bush on Friday wouldn't do much to support growth.

Jolted by worries of a global recession, the Fed on Tuesday slashed its federal funds rate three-quarters of a percentage point to 3.5 percent, the biggest reduction in this target rate for overnight loans on records going back to 1990. It also was the first time the Fed has changed rates between meetings since 2001.

On Wall Street Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged more than 450 points initially but recouped most of its losses as the day progressed to close at 11,971.19, down 128.11 points, or 1.1 percent.

U.S. stock index futures showed that Wall Street was poised for another drop Wednesday. Dow futures were down 86 points, or 0.7 percent, to 11,865. Standard & Poor's 500 futures were down 12.8 points, or 1 percent, to 1,296.5.

In Hong Kong, where the benchmark index had plunged 22 percent since the start of the year, investors took heart from the U.S. rate cut and snapped up stocks that had fallen to attractive levels.

Francis Lun, a general manager at Fulbright Securities, estimated that the Hong Kong market had been oversold by about 15 percent.

"It's time to recover, but investors still need to be cautious because the fluctuation now is too big," he said.

The Fed's move also helped lift the dollar, which rose to 106.90 yen late morning in Tokyo, up from 106.48 yen late Tuesday in New York -- another bit of good news for Japanese exporters, whose earnings are helped by a stronger dollar.

Still, analysts warned that lower interest rates won't fix bad credit problems -- and usually take several months to have an effect on an economy.

"We consider the Fed's rate cut still insufficient for the global financial markets to completely recover and help the Japanese stocks to fully rebound," Credit Suisse chief strategist Shinichi Ichikawa said.

that's from Yahoo

who thinks there will be another cut at the end of the month at their normal meeting?

I find it highly unlikely...
 
Dec 8, 2005
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^^^^lol. genius. american political actions typify the glorification of material wealth and violence in "hip hop." George Bush is a gangster, other nations accuse the US of behaving like a gangster nation roaming around and doing what it pleases, killing anyone that stands in the way, taking what it wants. the same people who jack off to the Scarface dvd and who are strictly "bout my paper" are often the ones most vocal against the government who are actually living that life they nut over and funneling drugs into this country, killing at will, and staying true to the "world is mine attitude." as you pointed out, the govt will literally make it rain using 150 bil in tax money on all of the US hoes, aka, people working shit jobs they hate, but who do it anyway for $$$. we have luxury wars where the "soldiers" die and the people on top still stay on top wihtout a scratch. No wonder hip hop and government often identify each other as the enemy, its like each of them are looking into a mirror and neither likes what it sees. america is fine, we just ballin on a budget right now.
 
Feb 8, 2006
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^^^^lol. genius. american political actions typify the glorification of material wealth and violence in "hip hop." George Bush is a gangster, other nations accuse the US of behaving like a gangster nation roaming around and doing what it pleases, killing anyone that stands in the way, taking what it wants. the same people who jack off to the Scarface dvd and who are strictly "bout my paper" are often the ones most vocal against the government who are actually living that life they nut over and funneling drugs into this country, killing at will, and staying true to the "world is mine attitude." as you pointed out, the govt will literally make it rain using 150 bil in tax money on all of the US hoes, aka, people working shit jobs they hate, but who do it anyway for $$$. we have luxury wars where the "soldiers" die and the people on top still stay on top wihtout a scratch. No wonder hip hop and government often identify each other as the enemy, its like each of them are looking into a mirror and neither likes what it sees. america is fine, we just ballin on a budget right now.

well put
 
Jul 10, 2002
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let's see what happens if these two big Bond Insurer's get downgraded to AA status, that'll be good for financial markets.