Months after it was first announced, the Federal Reserve’s plan to taper down its massive stimulus plan is gathering steam. After scaling back its $85 billion monthly buyup of mortgage baked securities and bonds by $10 billion, the Fed's Open Market Committee has now...
The Federal Reserve’s 2014 Monetary Policy: What’s Next?
The Federal Open Market Committee gathers for its first meeting in 2014 this January – and although FOMC may not be a household word, its decisions on the Federal Reserve’s monetary policies have the potential to impact most households in the country. As we head into...
“Modest” Tapering Starts in January – But Will Anyone Notice?
Does $10 billion a month make a difference? After months of mixed message, the Federal Reserve has announced in January 2014 it plans to start scaling back its massive stimulus program. For now it’s a “modest” tapering, that reduces monthly bond buying from $85...
World Markets Watch the Fed’s Decision
World confidence in the US dollar continues to wobble. As the euro surged to the top of the currency markets in early December 2013, the dollar sagged, as investors look to current economic indicators for clues about what the Federal Reserve plans to do about its...
Can Cybercurrency Change the World?
Digital currency keeps on making news – and making financial experts worry. In what appears to be the perfect marketing move, the Bitcoin – an electronic currency – was recently used to buy the Tesla, an electric car. And while many hail the move as another step...
The Bitcoin: Cyber Currency for Cyber Crime?
The Bitcoin is coming of age. That odd, bankless virtual currency that up till now ahs been largely the darling of computer geeks and financial rebels forging new digital marketplaces based on the Bitcoin now has a shady side, as the FBI seizes over three million of...
What’s Ahead For Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
Venerable home loan servicers Fannie Mae end Freddie Mac have been around so long, it’s hared to remember what their real names are. In spite of a troubled past linked to the subprme mortgage meltdown of a few years ago, these two institutions seem like a permanent...
House Republicans Propose a New PATH for Housing
The years after the massive hosing collapse of 2008 saw bill after bill purporting to protect the American home buyer from credit crises, bank abuse and lending policies. Now, as if the Dodd Frank Act and similar, smaller bills weren’t enough, Washington policy makers...
Home Finance Reform and the Future of the Fixed Rate Mortgage
Talk of housing finance reform is in the air. And as members of the House financial Services Committee continue debates about creating a more "holistic” housing policy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reminded them in recent remarks to start with a clear...
How Does the Federal Reserve Affect You?
Buying a car? Looking for a job? Stocking up at the grocery store? The decisions you make about these things and many more are driven by the actions of the Federal Reserve. Although it seems that shadowy body only matters in the arcane world of high level finance, the...