Ben Bernanke

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Ron Paul Poised to Finally Pass Fed Audits

For first time in nine tries, amendment goes to House floor

(Newser) - For Ron Paul, it's got to be sweet. The financial regulatory reform bill that opened for debate in the House today contains Paul's amendment to subject the Fed to congressional audit—his ninth try in 11 years in office to get a Fed-curbing proposal into play. Until now, none of...

'Formidable Headwinds' Hinder Recovery: Bernanke

Weak credit and labor markets mean recovery will be slow: Fed chair

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke painted a stark picture of the economy today, warning that "formidable headwinds" are working against the incipient recovery. Despite an unexpectedly positive jobs report, the pace of expansion is likely to remain "moderate," the Fed chair said. “Despite the general improvement in financial conditions,...

Far Right, Left Rage Against Bernanke
 Far Right, Left Rage 
 Against Bernanke 
NO EASY 2ND TERM

Far Right, Left Rage Against Bernanke

Unlikely coalition of activists of all stripes target Fed chair

(Newser) - They're mad as hell at Ben Bernanke, and willing to work together—even if they don't agree on anything else—to block the Fed chairman's renomination. Populist anger at Wall Street bailouts and lack of transparency at the Fed has created a surprising coalition of right- and left-wingers that's gaining...

'I Did Not Anticipate a Crisis of This Magnitude'
'I Did Not Anticipate a
Crisis of This Magnitude'
bernanke's rough day

'I Did Not Anticipate a Crisis of This Magnitude'

Fed chief takes a beating but seems to have support for new term

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke took some serious lumps today on Capitol Hill, but he still seems to have the support he'll need to get a second term as chief of the Federal Reserve. "I did not anticipate a crisis of this magnitude," he told members of a Senate panel during...

Bernanke on Defensive in Confirmation Hearing

Senators full of criticisms for the Fed

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke was forced to play defense in his confirmation hearing today, as the Senate Banking Committee rained down criticism on the Fed and its chairman. Some, like Chris Dodd, signaled approval of Bernanke’s leadership but not of the Fed’s bid for increased regulatory control. “Why should...

Sen. Sanders Puts Hold on Bernanke Nomination

Independent's move could force Dems to scrape up 60 votes

(Newser) - Saying that Ben Bernanke is too tied to the roots of the current financial crisis and too beholden the institutions that helped cause it, Sen. Bernie Sanders put a hold on the nomination process for a second term for the Federal Reserve chief. The Vermont independent’s move—not much...

Bernanke on Offense Ahead of Confirmation Battle

Fed chair makes his case ahead of Senate hearing; Sanders will vote no

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke's reappointment to a second 4-year term is virtually certain, but the path appears likely to be a somewhat rocky one. The Fed chairman's confirmation will be the subject of a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday, and one senator has already said he'll vote no when the matter comes...

Congress' New Whipping Boy: The Fed

Bernanke & Co. run into populist ire over Wall St bailouts, unemployment

(Newser) - When Fed Chair Ben Bernanke goes before Congress next month seeking a second term, he'll run straight into cantankerous legislators riding a tide of populist rage over the Wall Street bailout and high unemployment. While the Fed acted decisively to bail out the financial markets last year, it's widely viewed...

Dow Up 137; Fed News Sparks Rally
 Dow Up 137; 
 Fed News Sparks Rally 
MARKETS

Dow Up 137; Fed News Sparks Rally

Bernanke predicts US GDP growth in 2010

(Newser) - Stocks rallied today on news of strong third-quarter economic growth in Japan and reassurance from Ben Bernanke that the Fed will keep interest rates low, the Wall Street Journal reports.
  • The Dow rose 136.49 points to close at 10,406,96.
  • The Nasdaq gained 29.97, settling at 2,
...

Fed Restricts Overdraft Fees

 Fed Restricts Overdraft Fees 

Fed Restricts Overdraft Fees

Customers must opt in for coverage of ATM, debit transactions

(Newser) - Starting in July, banks will have to get consumers' explicit consent before authorizing an overdraft—and the accompanying fee—on debit and ATM card transactions. Since the advent of the financial crisis, overdraft fees have become the biggest source of consumer fee income for banks. Congress is also considering making...

Fed Leaves Rate at Record Low

Says it wants to foster recovery

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve today held a key interest rate at a record low and again pledged to keep it there for an "extended period" to foster the fragile economic recovery. The Fed says economic activity has "continued to pick up" and that the housing market also has grown...

Bernanke: US Must Save More, Asia Spend More

Fed chief warns global imbalances could trigger new meltdown

(Newser) - The world economy is headed back down the drain if Asians don't start spending more and Americans don't start saving more, Ben Bernanke said at a conference yesterday. The Fed chief warned that unequal trade patterns were partly to blame for the financial crisis and that they are re-emerging as...

Rahm Leads List of DC Power Hitters

Gates No. 2 in poll of the capital's most powerful people, from pols to stylists

(Newser) - Scratch the names Obama and Biden from the list and it's Rahm Emanuel who carries the most clout in a city packed with power-brokers, according to a GQ poll of Washington insiders. The "ruthlessly pragmatic" White House chief of staff is a lot more than just a gatekeeper to...

Fed May Have Outmuscled Other Lehman Creditors

Government creditors got their cash back; private investors still struggling

(Newser) - A special court examiner investigating the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy is trying to determine whether the Fed used its clout to get its money back from the collapsed bank ahead of other creditors. The central bank and its New York branch lent Lehman $46 billion before the bankruptcy but was promptly...

Dow Drops 81 Despite Fed News
 Dow Drops 81 
 Despite Fed News 
MARKETS

Dow Drops 81 Despite Fed News

Oil prices tumble $2.79

(Newser) - After an initial boost off the Fed's cautiously optimistic announcement and decision to leave interest rates unchanged, stocks fell late in the session, the Wall Street Journal reports. Crude oil tumbled $2.79 to $68.53 a barrel, driving sell-offs in energy stocks that in turn depressed the major indices....

Fed Holds Rates Steady, Says Economy 'Picked Up'

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve today decided as expected to hold a key bank lending rate at a record low near zero and pledged to keep rates there "for an extended period." The Fed also declared that "economic activity has picked up following its severe downturn" and said it...

8 Days That Shook the Financial World
8 Days That Shook the Financial World
GLOSSIES

8 Days That Shook the Financial World

James Stewart on the week that Lehman failed, and meltdown loomed

(Newser) - James Stewart’s reconstruction of the 8 nail-biting days, a year ago, in which the federal government stepped in to stop the collapse of the world financial system—published in the New Yorker this week, just as Fed chief Ben Bernanke was declaring the recession officially over—makes riveting, tense...

Dow Up 56 on Bernanke, Retail
 Dow Up 56 on Bernanke, Retail 
MARKETS

Dow Up 56 on Bernanke, Retail

'Clunkers' boosts sales, NY manufacturing up

(Newser) - Stocks posted solid advances after Ben Bernanke said it was “very likely” that the recession is over, the Wall Street Journal reports. Economic reports showed retail sales gaining 2.7% last month, largely because of the “Cash for Clunkers” program, while the Fed’s index of NY manufacturing...

Bernanke: Recession 'Very Likely Over'

(Newser) - Fed chief Ben Bernanke said today that the worst recession since the 1930s is "very likely over at this point." However, "it's still going to feel like a weak economy for some time," he warned, and unemployment will almost certainly rise. He spoke today to the...

Fed Has Field of Economics in Its Pocket
Fed Has Field of Economics in Its Pocket
OPINION

Fed Has Field of Economics in Its Pocket

Central bank keeps vast number of thinkers on the payroll

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve has essentially bought out the economics profession, writes Ryan Grim in a Huffington Post investigation. The Fed employs or contracts with so many economists that it's a "career liability" for any independent-minded one to criticize policy, writes Grim. This might explain why the Fed has largely...

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