|
|
| Fed's Yellen says key rate is probably low enough - 15, May 2008 |
By Ros Krasny
TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - A top Federal Reserve official said on Wednesday that interest rates have "come way down" in recent months, and with inflation looming the central bank's key lending rate has probably been cut enough for now, despite risks to growth.
Janet Yellen, president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, said that the U.S. central bank is grappling with a complex mix of issues, but that inflation is weighing heavily on her mind.
"The 1970s were a horrible period. If there's one thing that has to be very high priority, we don't want to go back to a period that is anything like that," she said, critiquing presentations on the economy at a symposium for college students in Tacoma, Washington.
Yellen, who is often seen as one of the Fed's more dovish members, or worried about economic growth, spoke of the need to prevent 1970s-style inflation even as she warned of chance of a "horrid" downward growth spiral, adding that the Fed's policy choices could result in short-gain pain.
Her blunt comments on inflation came a day after she made similar remarks in Vancouver.
But she noted the Fed's policy dilemma in trying to both contain inflation and encourage growth, saying, "It's not a simple, straightforward set of issues that we face at the moment."
The Fed has cut its benchmark interest rate by a total of 3.25 percentage points since mid-September to stoke growth amid fears the United States could slide into recession.
Lately, financial markets have been guessing that the Fed thinks it has done enough to shore up growth and will stand aside for several months before possibly raising interest rates at year end.
(c) 2008 Reuters
|
| Other news from Business category: |
-
SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co , South Korea's top auto maker, said on Sunday it had cut its local sales target for this year by 6 percent as record-breaking oil prices are hitting consumer sentiment in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
More
-
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) - A current slump in the global automotive sector could give fresh impetus to plans for consolidation within the industry, the head of French carmaker Renault said on Saturday.
More
-
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil dropped below $144 a barrel on Friday, but was still within sight of record highs reached in the previous session when traders bought into the market ahead of a holiday weekend in the United States.
More
-
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission opened an in-depth investigation on Friday into BHP Billiton's $170 billion unsolicited bid for rival miner Rio Tinto , with prices of iron ore already soaring.
More
-
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - World stocks edged lower on Friday, getting no relief from a decline in crude prices as concerns of further banking write-downs weighed on financial shares.
More
-
PARIS (Reuters) - France's Banking Commission on Friday fined Societe Generale 4 million euros ($6.3 million) for serious breaches in internal controls revealed by the French bank's 4.9 billion euro rogue trading loss.
More
-
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil dropped below $145 a barrel on Friday, but was still within sight of record highs reached in the previous session when traders bought into the market ahead of a holiday weekend in the United States.
More
-
VIENNA (Reuters) - A Vienna court sentenced nine people to prison on Friday for their roles in causing losses at Austrian bank BAWAG P.S.K. of as much as 1.7 billion euros ($2.7 billion) through risky investments.
More
-
SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) - BHP Billiton Ltd/Plc has matched takeover target Rio Tinto Ltd/Plc with a near doubling in contract iron ore prices, ending months of talks and speculation it may get more.
More
-
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The dollar's fall is a source of global concern and the European Union wants a better balance between the U.S. unit and other major currencies, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Friday.
More
|
|
| Software News |
'Containers' Out Perform Virtualization For KV Pharmaceuticals
(TechWeb)
TechWeb - InformationWeek - With a container approach from Parallels' Virtuozzo, memory consumption and processor overhead are reduced through the use of one operating system per host.
|
Nokia 6220 Smartphone Released
(TechWeb)
TechWeb - InformationWeek - The Nokia 6220 classic design includes 3G connectivity, compatibility with Microsoft Office applications, Bluetooth capabilities, and a 5-megapixel camera.
|
Microsoft Hopes Office Subscription Plan Will Counter Free Software
(TechWeb)
TechWeb - InformationWeek - Microsoft is counting on Equipt's convenience factor to help it fend off threats from Google, IBM, and others that are offering free desktop productivity suites.
|
Three Startups To Solve SaaS Integration Problems
(TechWeb)
TechWeb - InformationWeek - Boomi, SnapLogic, and Cast Iron are rolling out new offerings designed to help companies integrate software running in the cloud with onsite software.
|
Blogger Opinion: Why We Left NetSuite
(NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - I first met our solution provider, Ray Tetlow, the founder of Skyytek, on the Oracle Small Business (OSB from now on) user forum. At the time we were struggling with version 7 of OSB. It was really incomplete and badly tested software. Not only was it painfully slow, but also a lot of the features on which we based our purchasing decision just did not work.
|
Krugle enhances code search appliance
(InfoWorld)
InfoWorld - Krugle plans to ship next week an upgrade to its search appliance for enterprise software development projects, which makes it easier for teams of developers to maintain code.
|
|