美联储降息25个基点，且不排除进一步降息可能

微风知劲草

美联储降息25个基点，且不排除进一步降息可能

来自：MACD论坛(bbs.macd.cn) 作者：微风知劲草 浏览：2046 回复：9

Fed Cuts Interest Rate a Quarter Point
Tuesday December 11, 2:29 pm ET
Federal Reserve Cuts Key Interest Rate by One-Quarter of a Percentage Point to 4.25 Percent

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by one-quarter of a percentage point Tuesday, trying to keep the country out of recession.

The reduction in the federal funds rate to 4.25 percent marked the third rate cut in the past three months. Fed officials signaled that further cuts were possible if a severe downturn in housing and a crisis in mortgage lending get worse.

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Commercial banks were expected to quickly match the latest reduction by trimming their prime lending rate, which would reduce this benchmark rate for millions of consumer and business loans to 7.25 percent.

In addition to cutting the funds rate, the Fed announced it was reducing its discount rate, the interest it charges to make direct loans to banks, by a quarter-point as well to 4.75 percent. This reduction was aimed at encouraging banks to borrow more freely from the Fed at a time when there are worries that a rising number of bad loans will prompt banks to tighten credit conditions too severely, adding another strain on the already fragile economy.

The Fed embarked on this round of rate cuts in September in response to severe turbulence in credit markets around the globe as investors reacted to various reports of mounting losses from defaults in subprime mortgages, the latest fallout from the worst slump in the U.S. housing market in more than two decades.

After cutting the funds rate by a half-point on Sept. 11 and a quarter-point on Oct. 31, the central bank indicated that those two reductions might be all that were needed to combat the threat of a recession given that financial markets appeared to be stabilizing.

However, increased market turbulence following the October meeting and growing fears of a recession caused the Fed to do an about-face.

In a brief statement explaining its action, the Fed said that recent economic data indicated that the economy is slowing, "reflecting the intensification of the housing correction and some softening in business and consumer spending."

The Fed also noted that "strains in financial markets have increased in recent weeks."

In its Oct. 31 statement, the Fed said it viewed the risks from weak growth as roughly balanced with the risks of higher inflation.

However, that phrase was changed in the current statement to read, "Recent developments, including the deterioration in financial market conditions, have increased the uncertainty surrounding the outlook for economic growth and inflation."

The Fed vote for the rate cut was 9 to 1 with Eric S. Rosengren dissenting, arguing for a bigger, half-point cut in the funds rate.

Many economists believe the housing slump and credit turmoil have raised the risks of a recession. Many analysts believe that economic growth, as measured by the gross domestic product, may have dipped to a barely perceptible 1 percent rate, raising the chance that some shock, such as another surge in energy prices, could push the country into a recession.

But many analysts still believe the Fed will be able to respond forcefully enough with rate cuts that it will keep the current expansion alive. These analysts believe that the economy will start to rebound to faster growth by the middle of next year, when they expect that lower mortgage rates will have spurred a rebound in home sales.

"I think a full blown recession can be avoided but just barely," said David Jones, chief economist at DMJ Advisors. He predicted that the Fed will follow up its December rate cut with three more reductions at its first three meetings of 2008.

decent

降的真是时候，看来天意难违啊:*27*:

微风知劲草

Stocks Fall After Fed Cuts Rates
Tuesday December 11, 2:36 pm ET
By Joe Bel Bruno, AP Business Writer
Stocks Fall After Fed Cuts Rates As Expected; Policymakers Signal Further Cuts Are Possible

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks fell Tuesday after the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percent, disappointing some investors who hoped the central bank would take more aggressive measures. The Dow Jones industrial average, which had been up about 40 points before the decision, dropped more than 180 points.

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Investors had been expecting policymakers would cut rates for a third straight time, though there had been debate over the size of the cut. Most economists had been expecting a quarter-point cut in the benchmark federal funds rate to 4.25 percent -- but some investors were hoping for a half-point cut in the Fed's last meeting this year, and their disappointment took the market lower.

The Fed as expected also cut the discount rate, the amount it charges to lend directly to banks. The cut was also a quarter-point reduction.

Fed officials signaled that further cuts were possible if a severe downturn in housing and a crisis in mortgage lending get worse.

The central bank has been trying to help the economy weather a severe slump in housing, spreading mortgage defaults and financial market turbulence. But, there has been fresh evidence just this week that the world's banks and brokerages are still suffering from the subprime loan crisis.

In midafternoon trading, the Dow skidded 182.57, or 1.33 percent, to 13,544.46 after fluctuating earlier.

Broader indexes also fell. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 20.93, or 1.38 percent, to 1,495.03, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 30.71, or 1.13 percent, to 2,688.24.

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com

Northbg

中国继续紧缩

回头是岸

这个是什么？:*P

poseidon80

又是一个周期

zhangdi

:mad:

阳光下的小鱼

反弹提前结束可能性更大了

a2011

#*)*#

renyqq

半夜三更的挖坟贴 挖你妹#*1#