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Mar 14

A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (March 13, 2012)

Tuesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. For the fourth consecutive month, the Fed Funds Rate vote was nearly unanimous. Just one FOMC member dissented in the 9-1 vote. The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008. It is expected to remain near-zero through 2014, at least. In its press release, the Federal Reserve noted that the the U.S. economy has "expanded … [Read more...]

Feb 28

Federal Reserve Wary Of European Spillover

The Federal Reserve has released the minutes from its 2-day meeting January 24-25, 2012. The Fed Minutes is a summary of the conversations and debates that shape our nation's monetary policy. It receives less attention than the Fed's more well-known, post-meeting press release, but the Fed Minutes is every bit as important. To rate shoppers in District of Columbia , for example, the Fed Minutes can provide clues about whether mortgage rates will generally rise or fall in the coming … [Read more...]

Jan 12

Fed Minutes Show An Improving U.S. Economy Threatened By The Eurozone

The Federal Reserve has released the minutes from its most recent Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The Fed Minutes are a detailed meeting recap; the companion piece to the more brief, more well-known press release. As a comparison, the minutes of the last FOMC meeting contained 60 paragraphs and 7,027 words. The post-meeting press release was just 5 paragraphs and 382 words. December's Fed Minutes shows Fed members with a positive, cautious, take on the economy. Recent data … [Read more...]

Jan 11

Home Affordability Set To Worsen On Thursday’s Retail Sales Data

Retail Sales Worsen Housing Affordability

Consumer spending continues to rise nationwide, fueled by jobs growth and a rosier outlook for the U.S. economy. Unfortunately for mortgage rate shoppers in Washington DC, it may also lead to higher mortgage rates later this week. Thursday morning, the Census Bureau will release its U.S. Retail Sales data for December. The report is expected to show an 18th consecutive monthly increase, with analysts projecting sales volume higher by 0.4 percent from November. This would be double the … [Read more...]

Dec 13

A Simple Explanation Of The Federal Reserve Statement (December 13, 2011 Edition)

Tuesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. The vote was nearly unanimous for the second straight month. Just one FOMC member dissented in the vote, favoring additional policy stimulus beyond what the Federal Reserve currently provides. In its press release, the Federal Reserve sais that the the U.S. economy is improving, noting that since its November 2011 meeting, the economy has been … [Read more...]