The Federal Reserve cut its target for a key interest rate to the lowest level on record Tuesday and pledged to use "all available tools" to combat a severe financial crisis and prolonged recession. STORY, Page 13 ...more

December 17, 2008

The credit markets can be mind-numbing in their complexity, but they are vital to what happens in our everyday lives. They're also the reason President Bush proposed the controversial $700 billion rescue plan. Here are some answers to questions about the credit markets. ...more

October 8, 2008

Many of us are nervously watching the wild swings on the stock market for signs of a Wall Street collapse, but it's the obscure credit markets that matter most right now to consumers and businesses alike. ...more

October 7, 2008

Confronted by problems at every turn - rising unemployment, shaky growth, credit troubles and creeping inflation - the Federal Reserve left an important interest rate unchanged, taking a gamble that for now the best move was no move at all. ...more

August 6, 2008

Straddling risky economic crosscurrents, the Federal Reserve is expected to stand still this week on interest rates. ...more

June 24, 2008

Individuals and businesses are likely to see their borrowing costs drop further as the Federal Reserve weighs another interest-rate reduction to bolster a sagging economy. ...more

January 30, 2008

Regional bank National City Corp. said Wednesday it is slashing its dividend by half and shutting its wholesale mortgage division, eliminating 900 jobs, because of weakened housing and credit markets. ...more

January 3, 2008

Federal Reserve policymakers are expected to slice a key interest rate for a third time this year in an effort to prevent troubles in the housing and credit markets from sinking the nation's economy. ...more

December 11, 2007