The Fed and Treasury

Will Trump Try to ‘Overrule’ Monetary Policy?

By Mark Thoma

How will the Federal Reserve evolve during Donald Trump’s term as president? Presently, three of the seven positions on the Federal Reserve Board are vacant. These vacancies, along with the...
Why the Treasury Is Ending a Low-Income Retirement Saving Program

By Beth Braverman

Less than two years after the Obama administration rolled out a myRA, a savings program aimed at helping the millions of Americans without access to a retirement account through work, the Trump...
Will Janet Yellen Give Wall Street a Scare?

By Anthony Mirhaydari

For years, the Federal Reserve has been unable to convince the market it's serious about aggressively tightening policy. Janet Yellen and her cohorts have been guilty of "crying wolf," constantly...
Is the Fed About to Wage War on the Rich?

By Anthony Mirhaydari

For years, stocks have been driven relentlessly higher thanks to a single statement that summarized the aggressive central bank largesse since the eurozone crisis flared up in 2012: Policymakers...
Is the Fed Fighting the Trump Rally?

By Anthony Mirhaydari

The evidence is growing that the Federal Reserve’s policymakers are actively working to lean against the stock market's rise, a dramatic reversal from the years of policy support stock market bulls...

The Fed’s Big Mistake: Rate Hikes Hurt US Workers

By David Dayen

Protesters rallied in Washington, New York City and Philadelphia yesterday against an imminent government action that would damage the financial prospects of ordinary workers. And no, it had nothing...
The Fed, the Reality of Tax Cuts, and Donald Trump

By Mark Thoma

For many years, Republicans argued that tax cuts for the wealthy pay for themselves. Cutting taxes on the wealthy, according to Republicans, allows them to keep a larger share of anything new they...
Will Unwinding the Fed’s $4.5 Trillion Balance Sheet Kill the Bull Market?

By Anthony Mirhaydari

Over the last decade, investors have grown accustomed to a Federal Reserve that constantly coddled them, allayed their fears and did everything possible to support the financial markets and asset...
The Key to This Market: Here’s What Will Determine if Stocks Rise or Fall

By Anthony Mirhaydari

For now, instead of putting pressure on risk assets, the Fed's newfound hawkishness is bolstering the reflation trade by lifting the dollar higher and attracting global capital into U.S. assets. Same...
Can Wall Street Handle Higher Interest Rates?

By Anthony Mirhaydari

The Federal Reserve just raised interest rates for the second time in three months, signaling a dramatic quickening of its prior pace. For the first time in more than a decade, Fed policymakers are...

CBO on Fiscal Cliff: Slow Growth or a New Recession

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

The latest economic update from the CBO almost perfectly crystallizes the challenge before lawmakers: Cut the deficit or create jobs, but you’ll struggle to do both at the same time. Navigating the...
Rising Gas Prices Could Take Points Away from Obama

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

Gasoline prices have shot up to $3.72 a gallon – ashocking 26-cent leap in the last month that reportedly has a politically vulnerable President Obama searching for ways to lower fuel costs.
Wall Street Week Ahead: All Eyes on Fed (Again)

By Rodrigo Campos, Reuters

The S&P 500 tortoise continues to beat the skeptics. In the absence of data or policy catalysts and with the S&P 500 near four-year highs, market participants are hoping technical indicators...
Standard Chartered: More Cracks in Regulatory System

By Suzanne McGee, The Fiscal Times

That was quick. British bank Standard Chartered PLC has agreed to pay $340 million to settle claims by the New York State Department of Financial Services that it conspired to hide some $250 billion...
The Fed Won’t Fire Until the Enemy is at the Door

By Merrill Goozner, The Fiscal Times

The uncertain winds blowing from Europe and Capitol Hill clearly weighed on monetary policymakers’ minds Tuesday and Wednesday as they contemplated further action to deal with an economy that slowed...

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