STATUS CHECK – STILL COUNTING, FUMING AND SUING
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Thursday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. Peace, harmony and finally a resolution to a hard-fought campaign? Of course not. This is 2020. Thursday night and key states still too close to call, with Joe Biden’s lead in Arizona diminishing […]
FED’S POWELL ACKNOWLEDGES SLOWDOWN, NEED FOR STIMULUS
By Denny Gulino WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell was as low key as possible in answering questions about the latest policy meeting as vote counts are deciding the next president but he did drop a hint that the asset purchase program may be in for some innovation. “The recent rise in new […]
FOMC POLICY STATEMENT AS IS
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is the Federal Open Market Committee policy statement issued Thursday, which added nothing to the previous stand-still statement: The Federal Reserve is committed to using its full range of tools to support the U.S. economy in this challenging time, thereby promoting its maximum employment and price stability goals. The COVID-19 […]
STATUS CHECK – FROM THE SEAT OF POWER, POWERLESSNESS AS VOTES TOTALED
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Wednesday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. The networks plodded on Wednesday night, with nothing much new to report, as talking heads artfully kept the ball rolling, even if it was in circles, waiting. President Trump was watching, likely clicking […]
STATUS CHECK – ‘WE’RE GOING TO WIN’ THEY BOTH SAID
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Tuesday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. · The election is far from decided at this midnight hour but it’s clear the blue wave was a fantasy, that the race turned out to be very tight with most states that […]
STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY – COMING UP, CATHARSIS, HEALING?
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Friday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. · Saturday makes it three days. Three days until catharsis, healing and finally a truce in the culture wars. You could see it on Fox News, where Sean Hannity was mellowing, praising candidate […]
STATUS CHECK COMMENTARY – STOWING THE AMMO BEFORE ELECTION DAY
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Thursday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes. · Does anyone still care that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin exchanged letters, each listing the deficiencies in the other’s position on pandemic relief. Suffice to say they’re far […]
FOMC APT TO STAND PAT FOR NOW, BUT FUTURE FISSURES EMERGING
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – The Federal Reserve is about to hold its second Federal Open Market Committee meeting under its new monetary policy framework amid strange and rapidly changing circumstances. No policy change is likely on Nov. 5. In other words, the FOMC will almost certainly leave the federal funds rate in the […]
FED’S BEIGE BK: AS-EXPECTED ‘SLIGHT TO MODEST’ EXPANSION
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book survey of economic activity through the 12 regional bank districts Wednesday found little evidence of any V-shaped recovery, instead seeing “slight to modest” improvements in most regions. Assembled by the St. Louis Fed, the survey prepared for the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting Nov. 4-5 […]
VICE CHAIR CLARIDA KEEPS FED POINTED TOWARD LONG-TERM MONETARY EASE
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Top Federal Reserve policy-makers continue to strongly signal their long-range intention to maintain an ultra-easy monetary policy, even as they acknowledge that the economy is recovering faster than they expected from the Covid shutdown induced recession. The Fed’s commitment to a highly accommodative policy is not completely open-ended, but […]