Monetary policy

The Federal Reserve notched two badly needed wins last week, as inflation showed signs of easing and the financial system withstood the collapse of one of the world's biggest crypto firms. Here's what that means for the central bank moving forward.

The Federal Reserve's semiannual financial stability report said the threat of continued high prices and the Fed's response to them are top threats for banks and other market participants.

In a letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, the chair of the Senate Banking Committee warned that the Fed was in danger of going too far in its efforts to tame inflation.

The central bank has recently stepped up its efforts to reduce its balance sheet, but doing that without forcing a liquidity crunch requires careful planning.

Comments from Federal Reserve officials in Jackson Hole last week have markets bracing for further tightening of monetary policy in the near term.

As the Federal Reserve implemented its second 0.75% rate hike in two months, the chair said the system is able to withstand any financial stability risks that rising rates might create. 

As government debt swells, the outer limits of what the U.S. can safely borrow are becoming less and less clear.

The dot plot will be the star of the meeting, but the coronavirus and the elections will be part of the discussion, economists say.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced a new approach to monetary policy Thursday that takes a more relaxed stance on inflation and on its view of how low U.S. unemployment can go.

The panel later this month will vote on the nomination of Judy Shelton, whose views on certain policy issues have met with skepticism from both Democrats and Republicans.

The central bank is only now nearing the launch of the credit facilities after the effort was announced in April. But Chairman Jerome Powell said loans have been available through other means.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank will maintain its muscular efforts to support the flow of credit in the U.S. economy as Americans hunker down from the coronavirus pandemic.

The central bank's sweeping actions suggest a cash shortage gripping sectors directly hit by the pandemic. Banks were supposed to be protected by Dodd-Frank but are still vulnerable to a funding domino effect.

In announcing the central bank’s emergency rate cut, Chairman Jerome Powell warned that the Fed can only do so much.

The Federal Reserve has voted unanimously to cut the interest rate 50 basis points to 1.10% effective March 4, in the first emergency rate cut since 2008.

The Federal Reserve is monitoring the COVID-19 issue and its economic effects, according to a release from the central bank, attributed to Chairman Jerome Powell, released Friday.

Sens. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Richard Shelby of Alabama had been among a handful of Republicans who had expressed uneasiness with Judy Shelton's views on monetary policy.

Both Democrats and Republicans aired concerns about controversial statements made by Judy Shelton on monetary policy, deposit insurance and other issues, raising doubts about her confirmation.

Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman who broke the back of U.S. inflation in the 1980s and three decades later led President Barack Obama’s bid to rein in the investment risk-taking of commercial banks, has died.

The Treasury secretary suggested a role for lawmakers in containing any fallout with financial contracts stemming from the transition to a new interest rate benchmark.