Word: fed
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...that Greenspan is good. Just two days after the Fed chairman raised interest rates to tap the economy?s brakes just a little, it?s already slowing down. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that GDP growth from the April-to-June quarter was actually 1.8 percent, instead of the 2.3 percent the government had estimated a month ago. In reality, of course, that has nothing to do with Tuesday?s action ?- even with a strong market reaction, an interest rate hike takes at least six months to reverberate through the economy ?- but it?s sure got plenty to do with...
Having heard from the Fed exactly what they expected to ?- that creeping inflation pressures necessitated a rate hike of a quarter-point (25 BASYS points) but no nudge in the now-neutral bias -? the markets may now exhale, slump a little, and get back to fundamentals. "The good news is that Greenspan remains ahead of the curve, acting promptly to hold down inflation just like he said he would," says TIME senior economics reporter Bernard Baumohl. "But the markets had their rally Monday ?- and most of the time it?s ?buy on the rumor, sell on the news...
Moved PermanentlyMoved PermanentlyFortune Investor Data"For the Fed to raise again this year, there?d have to be extremely clear signs that the economy was growing too fast," says Baumohl. "He wants to preserve some liquidity for Y2K, and he wants to stay in the background when the political season heats up and everyone?s fighting about tax cuts." That?s just fine with the markets ?- they hate politics anyway. The only thing that might have spoiled their party is if Greenspan hadn?t raised rates -- good news like that, if it?s unexpected, can only cause a ruckus. "That...
...nest of gamblers, Wall Street can take a while to place its bets. But when it does... Nearly a full week after a tame inflation report made it apparent that the Fed would raise rates once, and just once, when it meets this Tuesday, the markets finally got used to the idea on Monday. The Dow came charging out of the gate to steam up more than 130 points, and after a midafternoon lull sprinted through the tape at 199.15 ? well into record territory. And all this on the eve of a rate hike? Welcome to the "discount" rally...
...they did the day before. No hike? Twice the hike? Rally? Sell-off? Stay out of it until Greenspan?s gospel (2:15 p.m.) is fully digested. For the record, the safe betting is on one quarter-point hike (come on, guys ? when was the last time the Fed raised a half-point?) and then let things be for the rest of 1999. But you knew that already ? we told you last week...