Wednesday, May 23, 2012 10:15 AM SAST

Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve System (also known as the Federal Reserve, and informally as the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. It was created in 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, and was largely a response to prior financial panics and bank runs, the most severe of which being the Panic of 1907. Over time, the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System have expanded and its structure has evolved. Events such as the Great Depression were some of the major factors leading to changes in the system.

Articles About Federal Reserve

Guessing game begins over next Treasury chief

By Reuters

Wanted for the Treasury Department: a new boss who can fix trillion-dollar-plus budget deficits, overhaul the tax system and spur a reluctant Europe into fixing its debt crisis. (7:14 am)

MORE TOPICS: CHINA, BARACK OBAMA, BEN BERNANKE, FANNIE MAE, GOLDMAN SACHS, JPMORGAN CHASE

SEC looking at JPMorgan's financial reporting

By Reuters

The head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told lawmakers on Tuesday that her agency is probing JPMorgan Chase and Co's financial reporting and emphasized that big banks are required to publicly disclose changes to the models they use to measure risk. (10:49 pm)

MORE TOPICS: SEC, JPMORGAN CHASE, INVESTMENT, LONDON, CONGRESS

Markets
European Stocks Boosted By Positive Outlook: Daily Markets Wrap

By IBTimes

Comments regarding a rebound in the Chinese economy from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development lifted stocks earlier Tuesday and kept Asian and European bourses in the green. The comments came after Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiab... (10:13 pm)

MORE TOPICS: CHINA, GOLD, DOW JONES, GERMANY, MANUFACTURING, EUROPEAN UNION, JPMORGAN CHASE, CRUDE OIL

Wells Fargo increases return targets

By Reuters

Wells Fargo & Co <WFC.N> on Tuesday increased its goals for returns on assets and shareholder payouts while executives pledged to carefully manage risk throughout the company's sweeping operations. (10:00 pm)

MORE TOPICS: BANK OF AMERICA, JPMORGAN CHASE, WACHOVIA, WELLS FARGO, NEW YORK, INVESTMENT

Morning Copper Market Report

By CME Group

July copper has posted moderate gains this morning but remains well below this week's highs. Many traders were surprised that the copper market wasn't able to benefit from the latest series of official "hints" of upcoming Chinese easing. (3:34 pm)

MORE TOPICS: COPPER

FTSE extends rally as miners get China fillip

By Reuters UK

Gains by mining stocks helped Britain's top share index to extend its rally into a second session on Tuesday when the demand picture for metals was brightened by hopes of fresh moves by China to boost its economy. (1:21 pm)

MORE TOPICS: CHINA, FTSE, EXISTING HOME SALES, MANUFACTURING, EUROPEAN UNION, COPPER

Stock futures signal higher Wall Street open

By Reuters

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher Wall Street open on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.1 to 0.2 percent. (10:49 am)

MORE TOPICS: CHINA, DOW JONES, BANK OF AMERICA, BARCLAYS, GOLDMAN SACHS, MORGAN STANLEY

A trader enters an order by a post that sells JP Morgan Chase stock on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
Australian Stock Market Report – Afternoon 5/22/2012

By Comsec

The Australian sharemarket improved for the second straight day, something which has not happened in around 3 weeks. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) jumped 1.2 pct or 49.1 pts to 4173.5. The market improved as the day wore on and ended close to the highs of the day. (10:45 am)

MORE TOPICS: WESTPAC, EXISTING HOME SALES, MANUFACTURING, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, JAPAN

The People Have Spoken and Precious Metals Will Soar: Leonard Melman

By Street Wise Reports

The elections in Greece and France have shown that in democratic societies the people are the ultimate deciders of how well the best-laid economic plans will work out in the long run. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Leonard Melman, ... (May 22)

MORE TOPICS: CHINA, GOLD, UNEMPLOYMENT, NYSE, CALIFORNIA, PORTUGAL

Natural Resource-Related Stocks Show Promise: Frank Barbera

By Street Wise Reports

From gold and silver to energy and oil services, Frank Barbera, editor of The Gold Stock Technician Newsletter, sees a bright future for commodities and their equities. In this exclusive Gold Report interview, Barbera cites large blue-chip and midtie... (May 22)

MORE TOPICS: CHINA, GOLD, UNEMPLOYMENT, BEN BERNANKE, NYSE, CHEVRON