Topic - Federal Reserve System

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Fringes cast shadow over French presidential election
Socialist Francois Hollande and conservative Nicolas Sarkozy go head-to-head in France's presidential runoff, but a third figure looms large in the campaign: the leader of the nation's far-right National Front.
LAMBRO: Obama slammed left, right and center
Gas prices have soared to a national average of $3.82 a gallon, hitting a high of $4.35 per gallon in some parts of the country.
HENDRICKSON: When people in high places say dumb things
Those of you past a certain age may remember the old Art Linkletter show "Kids Say the Darndest Things." The one I still remember was when Linkletter asked a little boy if he looked like his daddy. "No," replied the boy innocently, "I look like the mailman."
Medical bills can wreck credit, even when paid off
Mike and Laura Park thought their credit record was spotless. The Texas couple wanted to take advantage of low interest rates, so they put their house on the market and talked to a lender about a mortgage on a bigger home in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs.
LAMBRO: Obama's proposed budgetary house of cards
Two things you need to know about President Obama's nearly $4 trillion budget for fiscal 2013: It will likely add another $1 trillion to a $15.3 trillion debt, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he will not act on any full budget plan this year.
BACON: Fleeced by the Fed
The Federal Reserve Board announced plans last Tuesday to keep short-term interest rates at near zero for another three years and said it might embark upon another bond-buying program to drive down long-term interest rates. The stock market rallied and President Obama's supporters hailed the rising stock market as a sign of his brilliance as a manager of the economy.
Gingrich makes play for gold vote
Newt Gingrich has moved to capture some Republican voters who lean toward Ron Paul and other Republicans who were Jack Kemp followers by naming two gold bugs to the Gingrich future team of advisers.
Mortgage Q&A: Rates likely to stay low, credit tight
The minutes of the Dec. 13 meeting of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors revealed the Fed is adopting the strategy of being more transparent when communicating its intent on the movement of short-term interest rates.
Inside Politics
A vacationing President Obama has nominated a Democratic Harvard University professor and a former Treasury official under Republican President George H.W. Bush to the Federal Reserve Board.
GHEI: Outlook beige
The Federal Reserve Board released its Beige Book compilation of economic data on Thursday. The document's bland title serves as an apt metaphor for the current state of the U.S. economy.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Capital gains tax far too high
Warren Buffett was wrong to suggest that capital gains taxes are too low ("Calling Buffett's bluff," Comment & Analysis, Monday). They are actually much too high, since they force people to pay taxes when they sell a stock based on inflation that occurred after they bought it.
LAMBRO: Obama numbers that add up to one term
The Obama economy is looking bleaker than ever. All recessions end, but this one's going to last a lot longer than most because America remains overtaxed, overregulated and drowning in unfathomable debt.
NHL Playoffs: Bruins hold on for 6-5 victory against Lightning in Game 2
Tyler Seguin had two goals and two assists and the Boston Bruins fed off the energy of the recently promoted rookie to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-5 and tie the Eastern Conference finals at one game each on Tuesday night.
ZYWICKI: Bureau of Consumer Protection must put consumers first
As the effective date for the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection approaches this summer, observers are expressing mounting concerns about its unprecedented power and lack of oversight. Newly empowered House Republicans have introduced several legislative proposals to trim the sails of the new agency, most notably House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus' proposal to change the bureau's single-director management structure to that of a five-member commission.
Mortgage Q&A: No dramatic changes in near future
Last week, tor the first time in history, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors held a news conference. It's no secret that the Fed, which controls monetary policy, holds enormous power. Historically, financial markets have moved greatly in response to seemingly benign statements made by the Fed chairman.