Ben Bernanke and the rest of the Federal Reserve may think that low interest rates can continue to be just what the economy needs to get back on track.
A key index of consumer prices rose in August, but sank significantly over the past 12 months, the government said Wednesday.
A key index of consumer prices rose more than expected in June but showed the largest year-over-year decline since January 1950, the government said Wednesday.
Technology stocks were expected to lift the overall market at Wednesday's open after Intel topped analysts' expectations for the prior quarter and gave a positive second-half outlook.
Should the Federal Reserve be more worried about the threat of inflation on the long-term horizon, or deflation in the short-term?
A key index of prices paid by consumers showed the largest year-over-year decline since April 1950, primarily due to sinking energy prices, the government said Wednesday.
U.S. stocks were set to open mixed Wednesday, showing little reaction to the latest figures on inflation, as investors awaited more details about President Obama's plan to overhaul financial regulation.
Wholesale prices jumped slightly in May, the government said Tuesday, but the increase was less than expected and the 5% annual rate of decline was the sharpest since 1949.
The nation has a 'flation problem. But it is deflation or inflation? Or maybe it's disinflation, stagflation or hyperinflation?
A key index of prices paid by consumers fell at the sharpest rate since August 1955 due to historically low energy prices, the government said Friday.
Ben Bernanke and the rest of the Federal Reserve may think that low interest rates can continue to be just what the economy needs to get back on track.
A key index of consumer prices rose in August, but sank significantly over the past 12 months, the government said Wednesday.
A key index of consumer prices rose more than expected in June but showed the largest year-over-year decline since January 1950, the government said Wednesday.
Technology stocks were expected to lift the overall market at Wednesday's open after Intel topped analysts' expectations for the prior quarter and gave a positive second-half outlook.
Should the Federal Reserve be more worried about the threat of inflation on the long-term horizon, or deflation in the short-term?
A key index of prices paid by consumers showed the largest year-over-year decline since April 1950, primarily due to sinking energy prices, the government said Wednesday.
U.S. stocks were set to open mixed Wednesday, showing little reaction to the latest figures on inflation, as investors awaited more details about President Obama's plan to overhaul financial regulation.
Wholesale prices jumped slightly in May, the government said Tuesday, but the increase was less than expected and the 5% annual rate of decline was the sharpest since 1949.
The nation has a 'flation problem. But it is deflation or inflation? Or maybe it's disinflation, stagflation or hyperinflation?
A key index of prices paid by consumers fell at the sharpest rate since August 1955 due to historically low energy prices, the government said Friday.
A key index of prices paid by consumers fell in March and registered its first annual decline in more than 50 years, the government said Wednesday, as prices for energy and food slumped in the weak economy.
Tech shares tumbled Wednesday morning, dragging down the Nasdaq composite, as investors mulled Intel's quarterly report, while blue-chip stocks were little changed.
Wholesale prices fell more than expected in March, primarily due to a large drop off in energy prices, the government said Tuesday.
Stocks rallied Wednesday, posting gains for their sixth of seven sessions, after the Federal Reserve said it would buy up to $300 billion in long-term government bonds.
Stocks opened lower Wednesday morning as the Federal Reserve resumed its policy meeting and IBM is reportedly in talks to buy Sun Microsystems for at least $6.5 billion.
Investors return to work on the back of Wall Street's best week in months - and that's both a good and bad thing.
Consumer prices rose last month for the first time since July, the government said Friday, but the year-over-year inflation rate was at the lowest level in more than a half-century.
Prices are falling for just about everything these days.
The government's measurement of wholesale inflation rose more than expected in January, due largely to rising energy prices.
Consumer prices fell in December for the third straight month, with plunging energy costs contributing to the drop, the government said Friday.
Wholesale prices fell in December for the fifth month in a row, according to a key government inflation report released Thursday.
Rarely has the potential for lower prices been so scary.
Lower prices are probably at the bottom of the list of most Americans' current economic worries. But for a growing number of economists, it's their biggest fear.
This recession has been so unusual that it has brought back economic phenomena that haven't been seen in generations, at least not in the U.S. Chief among them is deflation. It's a scary prospect that has been on people's minds since evidence of a deepening recession started proliferating quickly earlier in the fall.
Consumer prices - dragged down by plunging energy costs - fell by a staggering amount in November, the government reported Tuesday.
Wholesale prices fell considerably in November, as energy prices continued to plummet, according to a key government inflation reading released Friday.
Forget about inflation. The opposite threat - deflation - is what has policymakers sweating now.
Stock prices have plunged in recent weeks. So have oil prices.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the problems in the nation's financial markets persist and still threaten the economy.
In another indication of growing inflation, wholesale prices increased in July to the highest annual rate in 27 years, according to a government report released Tuesday.
Lower oil prices helped fire up a stock market advance Thursday, as investors looked beyond the morning's big spike in consumer inflation and opted to scoop up shares hit in the recent retreat.
Consumer prices shot up in July at twice the expected rate, pushed higher by surging energy and food costs
China's wholesale inflation in July accelerated to its highest rate in 12 years, adding to the government's headaches as it tries to rein in surging consumer prices, according to data reported Monday
The Federal Reserve left its key short-term interest rate unchanged Wednesday at 2%, marking the first time in the nine months that it did not cut rates.
Wholesale prices bolted ahead in May at the fastest pace in six months as energy and food costs marched higher
The inflation rate shot up in May at the fastest pace in six months, pushed higher by soaring costs for gasoline and other types of energy
The cost of living rose in May as consumers were belted by energy costs, the government said Friday.
Inflation shot up in May at the fastest pace in six months, pushed higher by soaring costs for gasoline and other types of energy
China's inflation rate dipped to a still high 7.7% in May, thanks to easing food prices, though pressures for further price increases remain a threat and few saw reason to celebrate
The following minutes from the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee on April 29-30, 2008 were published on the Federal Reserve web site on May 21, 2008.
Americans are feeling a lot more economic pain than the government's official statistics would lead you to believe, according to a growing number of experts.
China's producer price index, a key indicator of inflation, rose 8.1 per cent in April over the same month a year earlier, the government reported Friday, as a top economic official sought new controls to cool rising prices
Consumers, hit by rising energy prices, paid slightly more for goods and services in March. But the overall inflation gain was in line with Wall Street expectations.
Inflation at the wholesale level soared in March at nearly triple the rate that had been expected as the costs of energy and food both climbed rapidly
Inflation is the itch that the Federal Reserve just can't seem to scratch.
Here are the minutes from the March 18, 2008 meeting of the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee:
My friend Dana, a former real estate investment banker who got out of investment banking comfortably before subprime mortgages hit the fan, has a personal inflation index. It's pegged entirely to the price of filet mignon at the Palm Too, his favorite steak house on the East Side of Manhattan. If the filet mignon is reasonable, all is right with the world. If it seems unduly expensive, Dana gets worried that inflation is spinning out of control. So a couple of months ago he returned from a month in Paris to find that the price of pricey steak had jumped to $38, up from $36. To hear him tell it, not since the Last Supper has an evening meal emanated so pervasive a sense of impending doom.
Inflation at the wholesale level met most estimates in February, the Labor Department said Tuesday, but core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose more than expected.
Consumer prices held steady in February, with milder-than-expected inflation giving the Federal Reserve some leeway in its interest rate-cutting campaign.
Two members of the Federal Reserve's rate-setting body gave conflicting speeches Tuesday as to whether rising inflation or a recession is the greater risk for the economy.
Inflation at the wholesale level soared in January, pushed higher by rising costs for food, energy and medicine
Inflation pressures stayed steady in October, according to the government's key inflation measure released Thursday that matched economists' forecasts.
U.S. stocks appeared poised for a higher opening Wednesday, with technology stocks looking to lead the way on Wall Street after a batch of upbeat earnings in the sector.
U.S. stock futures were stronger Wednesday as investors continued to cheer a Federal Reserve cut aimed at restoring confidence in the financial markets.
Consumer prices in August fell for the first time in 10 months, as another big drop in energy costs offset higher food prices.
China is likely to keep tightening monetary policy over the rest of 2007, but some economists believe the central bank will slow the tempo of interest rate increases as the outlook for exports darkens and inflation prospects improve.
Consumer prices rose more slowly in July due to lower gasoline prices, according to the government's key inflation reading released Wednesday that was exactly what Wall Street was expecting..
Prices paid by consumers rose in June, but when food and energy prices were stripped out the government's key inflation measure was in line with Wall Street expectations.
The following is the text of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives.
Cheaper energy helped reduce overall U.S. producer prices in June, according to a Labor Department report Tuesday, but a closely watched measure of core inflation kept rising at a pace likely to keep concerns about inflation on policy-makers' minds.
Major gauges struggled in the first moments of trade Tuesday after reassuring news on consumer prices battled weak earnings reports from two Dow components.
Prices rose a bit less than forecast in April, according to the government's key inflation report Tuesday, but a closely watched reading showed a pick-up in prices outside of food and energy.
Tech and financial stocks slumped Monday, dragging down the Nasdaq composite and limiting gains for the Dow industrials as investors backed off after the recent rally.
Wholesale prices rose in April but excluding food and energy they stayed in check for the second straight month, the government said Friday in a report showing a key inflation reading below Wall Street forecasts.
Bonds rallied Wednesday as the latest signs of tame inflation and housing market weakness led traders to wonder about an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve.
Following are Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's prepared remarks to the Joint Economic Committee of Congress Wednesday.
Core U.S. inflation is likely to drop to 2 percent from about 2 1/4 percent, but pushing it below that may require higher interest rates, Federal Reserve Governor Frederic Mishkin said on Friday.
Bond prices were little changed - despite an economic report released Friday that showed higher inflation numbers (in line with economists' estimates) - while investors sensed equities remained a safe bet.
Higher gasoline and food prices pushed the cost of consumer goods up in February, according to a government report that showed inflation pressures roughly in line with Wall Street forecasts.
Wholesale prices shot higher in February, according to a government report Thursday that showed much greater inflation pressures than had been forecast.
Worries about inflation sent blue chips lower Wednesday, with the Dow Jones industrial average backtracking one day after closing at a record high.
The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged for the fifth straight time in January. Following are the minutes from the central bank's meeting:
Treasury prices fell Wednesday after a government report showed consumer prices rose more than economists expected.
Consumer prices rose a bit more than economists had expected in January, according to a government report Wednesday, but the numbers don't necessarily point to a huge pickup in inflation.
U.S. stocks were set for a lower open Wednesday after a key inflation gauge came in above expectations.
Following is the text of the testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs:
Bond prices rose and the dollar fell Thursday after a key inflation reading showed just a slight rise in consumer prices in December.
Economic growth picked up in the fourth quarter, the government said Wednesday, a surprisingly strong showing given the ongoing slump in the housing market.
The drop in oil prices to the lowest level in 20 months has boosted some investors' hopes that a key ingredient of inflation is out the door, which has helped open the back door for lower interest rates.
Wholesale prices rose in December but at a slower pace after November's spike, the government said Wednesday, but inflation pressures were still higher than investors had been expecting.
The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged for the fourth straight time in December. Following are the minutes from the central bank's meeting:
A key inflation gauge showed no rise in prices in November while Americans' incomes and spending both rose, but came in a bit lighter than expected.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed at a record high for the second session in a row Friday, at the end of a strong week on Wall Street, thanks to a mild read on consumer prices that furthered bets that inflation is easing
The Dow Jones industrial average pushed toward a record close Friday, at the end of a strong week on Wall Street, as investors welcomed a mild read on consumer prices that furthered bets that inflation is waning.
Stocks and bonds turned mixed Friday afternoon, giving up the session's advance, as investors continued to welcome a mild read on inflation, but showed some caution ahead of the weekend.
Prices paid by consumers stayed in check in November, according to the government's key inflation measure released Friday, as price pressures came in well below Wall Street forecasts.
Stocks looked poised Friday to build on a record-high close for the Dow after a key inflation report showed no rise from the previous month.
Treasury prices turned lower Thursday afternoon on concerns that inflation is still above the Federal Reserve's comfort zone, lessening the possibility of more rate cuts.
Consumer prices fell in October, led by a drop in gasoline prices, the government said Thursday in a report that showed other prices little changed, raising hopes on Wall Street that inflation pressures are in retreat.
Investors are looking to see if weak inflation pressures can again lift stocks ahead of earnings from Hewlett-Packard.
Treasurys took a big leap Tuesday as the Producer Price Index indicated that inflation was not accelerating as some had feared.
Bonds were mixed Wednesday, with longer-dated Treasurys holding in positive territory as investors were comforted by a tame inflation reading on consumer prices, despite signs of strength from the housing sector.
Prices paid by businesses fell in September on the biggest drop in energy prices in more than 20 years, but a more closely watched inflation reading came in well above Wall Street forecasts Tuesday.
Stocks gained Friday, restarting the recent rally, on bets that the morning's mild reading on inflation means the Federal Reserve can keep holding interest rates steady, for the time being.
Stocks surged Wednesday, rallying for the second straight session on bets that the day's benign inflation news is further evidence that the Federal Reserve can keep interest rates steady.
Bond prices jumped again Wednesday, with yields on the benchmark 10-year note dropping below 4.90 percent, as further reports suggested the economy and inflation are cooling.
The Federal Reserve's pause was looking more and more like a halt Tuesday, as the first post-Fed meeting inflation reading showed price pressures well in check.
A more precise measure of the Consumer Price Index could be instituted next year, according to a published report Monday, a move that could see the closely watched inflation reading roil markets less.
Australia's central bank has raised its key interest rate to 6.0 percent, citing inflation pressures and strong economic activity.
Manufacturing growth showed surprising strength in July, even as prices paid jumped, according to a closely watched survey of industry executives released Tuesday.
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