Those users who are looking for all things related to the Federal Reserve System will need to look no further than this well-designed and thorough website. Visitors will find a number of links on the left-hand side of the homepage that will take them directly to information about monetary policy, payment systems, economic research and data, and basic consumer information. One rather fine feature...

As expected, the Federal Reserve voted to raise interest rates 0.25 percent, the fifth rate raise since June. The interest rate boost is expected to help keep inflation in check during this record period (108 months) of economic expansion. Technology companies have continued to signal healthy economic growth, and unemployment rates remain low. Despite drastic price hikes in gasoline and heating...

Some feel that every time US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Allan Greenspan speaks, the US stock market shudders. He gave testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on February 26, 1997 and the Dow Jones industrial average plunged over 55 points that day (after a rebound from a 122 point loss). You can read the chairman's testimony and his recent speeches at the Federal Reserve Board site (the...

This week's In the News chronicles recent Federal Reserve Board decisions to lower interest rates. The eleven resources discussed provide news, opinion, and consumer information on the FRB BOG action. Following the first US interest rate cut in three years on September 29, 1998, FED Chairman Alan Greenspan caught fire from Wall Street. "Traders were disappointed" in the mere quarter point drop,...

This week's In the News examines Federal Board of Governors Chairman Alan Greenspan's Monetary Policy Testimony and Report to Congress, issued July 21, 1998. The ten resources discussed give background information on Chairman Greenspan's opinion, the US Congressional budget process, and the relationship between federal regulation and stock market activity. Also provided are links to official FRB...

Understanding the activities and operations of the U.S. Federal Reserve and its monetary policies can be a bit confusing, so it's nice to know that the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has created this fine resource for the general public. The resource begins by offering a brief overview of U.S. monetary policy, and visitors can read the five sections in their entirety here. These sections...

As speculated, on Tuesday, May 16, 2000, the Federal Reserve Board decided to raise US interest rates another 0.5 percent, to 6.5 percent. This interest rate hike follows five previous increases of a quarter-point each since June 1999. This is the first time in sixteen years that US interest rates have risen above 5 percent. The new rate will affect the borrowing costs for many Americans,...