• Fed will soon begin ‘challenging’ Main Street lending, says Powell

    Fed will soon begin ‘challenging’ Main Street lending, says Powell

    Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged Friday that the Fed faces a major challenge with the launch in the coming days of a program that will lend to companies other than banks for the first time since the Great Depression. The Fed’s Main Street Lending is geared toward medium-sized companies that are too large for …
  • Federal Reserve chairman says US economy may not recover until late 2021

    Federal Reserve chairman says US economy may not recover until late 2021

    The US economy’s may not recover from the coronavirus crisis until the end of 2021, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell warned. While he rejected the idea that the pandemic will lead to a second Great Depression, the nation’s top central banker said it’s unclear just how quickly the economy will get back on its feet …
  • Stocks tumble after Fed Chair Powell warns coronavirus could scar economy

    Stocks tumble after Fed Chair Powell warns coronavirus could scar economy

    US stocks tumbled Wednesday as Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell warned the coronavirus could leave the economy with lasting scars. The Dow Jones industrial average fell as much as 292.48 points, or 1.2 percent, to 23,472.30 in early trading after Powell said the pandemic poses “significant downside risks” to the nation’s economic recovery. The S&P …
  • Larger companies can apply for Fed’s coronavirus relief program

    Larger companies can apply for Fed’s coronavirus relief program

    The US Federal Reserve on Thursday widened a key program to nurse the “Main Street” economy through the coronavirus pandemic, agreeing to lend to even larger firms, taking on more risk in participation with banks, and hinting at some form of dedicated help for nonprofits. The central bank said it would expand its “Main Street …
  • Coronavirus small business loans over $2 million will be audited: Mnuchin

    Coronavirus small business loans over $2 million will be audited: Mnuchin

    The feds plan to audit all large coronavirus relief loans amid an outcry over big companies getting help at the expense of struggling small businesses. The US Small Business Administration will review all Paycheck Protection Program loans worth more than $2 million before forgiving the debt, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday. Loans from the …
  • Federal Reserve’s policy-making committee won’t have much to do at upcoming meeting

    Federal Reserve’s policy-making committee won’t have much to do at upcoming meeting

    The Federal Reserve’s policy-making committee meets this week, and there’s really not much left for it to do, other than to repeat previous messages about being there if the country needs it. I asked Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com, to sum it up so I wouldn’t have to. “The Federal Reserve has cut …
  • Fed unveils $2.3 trillion new loans to support US economy amid coronavirus crisis

    Fed unveils $2.3 trillion new loans to support US economy amid coronavirus crisis

    The Federal Reserve on Thursday unveiled $2.3 trillion new loans to support the economy during the coronavirus crisis. The loan program aims to help businesses, households and state and local governments facing a cash crunch as large parts of the economy have been shut down. “Our country’s highest priority must be to address this public …
  • US Banks may not be out of the woods

    US Banks may not be out of the woods

    Saved by the Fed. Federal Reserve programs, estimated at $6 trillion after some $2 trillion in promised fiscal stimulus last week, have averted a Depression-era crisis for US banks, some analysts say. But the enormous Fed sums may not be enough to fully cushion banks from a financial shock that was already building before the …
  • Washington needs to do more to help small businesses during coronavirus pandemic

    Washington needs to do more to help small businesses during coronavirus pandemic

    Washington is finally beginning to get it. The Federal Reserve has put forth bold initiatives, and followed up with action. The Treasury and the administration have also devised creative plans to go along with the Fed’s actions — and separately helped to develop a robust economic “time-out” package sufficient to help stabilize the economy for …
  • Fed chair Jerome Powell says ‘we may well be in a recession’

    Fed chair Jerome Powell says ‘we may well be in a recession’

    Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Thursday the country could already be in a recession, but that it was unlike a typical downturn because the economy was so strong before the coronavirus pandemic sent the markets into a tailspin and unemployment soaring. “We may well be in a recession. But I would point to the …