Word: fed
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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America has always been defined by risk; it may be our predominant national characteristic. It's a country founded by risk takers fed up with the English Crown and expanded by pioneers--a word that seems utterly American. Our heritage throws up heroes--Lewis and Clark, Thomas Edison, Frederick Douglass, Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Ford, Amelia Earhart--who bucked the odds, taking perilous chances...
...magic too. Yet the theory deserves comment as an alert to the dangers of rising interest rates. Last week the Federal Reserve bumped its target for the benchmark federal-funds rate to 5.25% from 5%. It was the second such hike this summer, and many believe that the Fed will move again in October. That would fully reclaim the cuts put in place during last year's global crisis and give the Fed more room to cut rates all over again if anything goes wrong at year's end. (Remember...
...after a week of bad news," says TIME senior economics reporter Bernard Baumohl. "The pace of new job creation for August is less than what economists had forecast, and the pressure on wages has been slight." That spells low inflation, notes Baumohl, and it means that worries about another Fed rate hike this year have been, if not entirely put to rest, at least sent upstairs for a nice long nap. Burgers? Hey, why not break out the steaks...
...about the market's "irrational exuberance." Yet it is within his purview to raise margin requirements above the current 50%. However, that might tick off Wall Street, which earns more than 8% interest on margin loans. (Brokers are free to raise requirements on their own, and some have.) No Fed chairman since 1974 has moved to lift the limit. Individual investors--and not just day traders--also share part of the blame. Intoxicated by the hot market, many have abandoned all fear of losing money...
Moved PermanentlyMoved PermanentlyFortune Investor Data"It?s just more good news," says TIME senior economics reporter Bernard Baumohl (although that wasn't immediately reflected in the market, which took profits from Wednesday?s record close). "This takes even more pressure off the Fed to raise rates again anytime soon; the economy seems to be slowing down just as it hoped." Thursday?s report isn?t a guarantee, though. Most of the slowdown was due to the trade deficit; imports aren?t counted in the GDP, although they do show up in the overall economy when cash-loaded consumers head...