National News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is raising its benchmark interest rate for the third time this year, signaling its confidence that the U.S. economy remains on solid footing 8½ years after the end of the Great Recession. The Fed is lifting its short-term rate by a modest quarter-point to a still-low range of 1.25 […]

The Senate has easily approved Janet Yellen’s nomination to head the Federal Reserve. Yellen is the first woman to lead the central bank in its 100yr history. It puts an economist in the post who has long focused on fighting unemployment and who backed the Fed’s recent efforts to spur the economy with low interest […]

National News

WASHINGTON (AP)— The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it will begin circulating a redesigned $100 bill this fall, more than two years after its initial target. The Fed has set a new target date of Oct. 8. The redesigned note incorporates added security features, such as a blue, 3-D security ribbon and a disappearing Liberty […]

Here’s the sneaky truth—probably not all that many people really understand his job, and maybe we’re all afraid to admit it.  But we shouldn’t be. It’s a complex if important job. Bernanke as Chairman leads the Federal Reserve, but what is the Federal Reserve? The technical answer is it is the central bank of the […]

National News

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is trying again to jolt an economy that's being held back by a weakened job market. To spur borrowing and spending, it's extending a program designed to lower long-term U.S. interest rates. At the end of a two-day policy meeting Wednesday, the Fed also sharply reduced its forecast for […]