WASHINGTON— With unemployment at 9.6 percent, the Federal Reserve is all but certain this week to launch a new program to try to fortify the economy. Yet the program isn’t expected to do much to ease a crisis that’s left ...

Tagged with: Ben Bernanke crisis Economy federal reserve program

WASHINGTON — A new program to pump up the economy through the purchase of Treasury bonds dominated Federal Reserve officials’ discussions at their September meeting. Minutes of the closed-door deliberations, released Tuesday, suggest Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his ...

Tagged with: Ben Bernanke Economy federal reserve treasury bonds

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke heads to Congress Wednesday with a message of reassurance: The Fed stands ready to take new steps to bolster the recovery if the economy worsens. The Fed chief kicks off back-to-back appearances on ...

Tagged with: Ben Bernanke Congress

WASHINGTON — New claims for jobless benefits fell for the third straight week but remain elevated, suggesting the labor market is still sluggish. Initial claims fell by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 456,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s nearly ...

Tagged with: Ben Bernanke jobless claims Labor Department