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The article focuses on the continued importance of U.S. bonds as essential investments despite a recent downgrade by the Fitch Ratings agency, highlighting the relative safety and stability of bonds compared to the stock market, and addressing the risks associated with interest rate fluctuations.

The article focuses on the drop in the U.S. stock market due to reduced earnings, sensitivity to interest rates, and slowing growth in China, and talks of chart on stock index as per the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, stock price of American technical companies Amazon and Alphabet.

The author offers opinions on the auction-rate market for municipal bonds. A crisis is seen in the market's fundamental structure. Many auctions are failing, and others are succeeding only by offering extraordinarily high interest rates. Investors are unwilling to commit to securities guaranteed by the struggling bond insurance companies. The author states this could result in a significant financial burden on U.S. cities and states which issue the bonds.

The article reports on discussions in the U.S. government about offering help to homeowners holding subprime mortgages. U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson told U.S. Congress that one-quarter of homeowners owning adjustable rate mortgages will likely default on their loans when their interest rates rise. Democrats hope to expand loan services by government lending programs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A call for increased mortgage regulation is discussed.

The article focuses on one ramification of the crisis in the U.S. mortgage loan market. Jumbo mortgages, loans for sums greater than $417,000, are suddenly harder to acquire without paying dramatically higher interest rates. This affects persons of higher income who are good credit risks, and indicates that liquidity problems are affecting the entire housing market.

The article reports that interest rates on bonds and high-yield loans have risen, causing business mergers and buyouts to become postponed or cancelled. Private equity firms have led a business mergers & acquisitions spree fueled by low interest rates. The higher rates are attributed to investors that have become unnerved by the ongoing problems with the subprime mortgage industry.

The article discusses options available to people holding adjustable rate mortgages in the U.S. The article discusses the fact the mortgage lenders want to keep homeowners in their homes and avoid defaults and foreclosures. The author offers several ways to handle adjustable rate mortgage loan interest rate resets and how to make changes to mortgage financing.

Explains credit scores, which determine how much a bank will lend for a mortgage. Mention of how Americans can order free copies of their credit reports; Significance of the FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) score, which offers information on consumers' creditworthiness; How the FICO score has become the single most important indicator used by lenders to predict whether a borrower will repay his or her debt; Information on the score; How to obtain a credit score; Suggestions on how to look less like a credit risk.

The article reports on the plan of the Chinese government to cut the benchmark interest rates for the businesses due to the weakening economy in China.

The article reports that due to investors' continuous worry about the recent interest rates' rise in anticipation of the Federal Reserve's winding of its huge economic stimulus, there has been a dip in the stock market for a fourth consecutive trading session in the U.S.

WASHINGTON -- Existing home sales rose more than expected in August to the fastest annual pace since March, as falling prices and low interest rates drew more buyers into the market, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. The data did little to change the view that housing, hobbled by a burst bubble that prompted a major recession, will not help the economy much anytime soon. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THE Federal Reserve says it's winding down its quantitative easing program, but it makes no such claims for the regular kind of monetary easing, keeping short-term interest rates near zero. Fed officials say short-term rates will stay low for months to come, and the challenges facing income-hungry investors are likely to linger, too. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Dow Jones industrial average closed higher for the seventh consecutive day on Tuesday in the longest series of gains for the index since July. McDonald's was the biggest gainer of the stocks in the Dow, rising 2.6 percent after reporting January sales that were higher than analysts had expected. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The European Central Bank and the Bank of England kept their main interest rates unchanged Thursday, as inflation concerns were overshadowed by debt tensions and the fear that government spending cuts could crimp economic growth. Jean-Claude Trichet, the European Central Bank's president, blamed rising oil prices rather than faster economic growth for an increase in inflation in the euro zone last month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep inside the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the $600 billion man is fast at work. In a spare, government-issue office in Lower Manhattan, behind a bank of cubicles and a scruffy copy machine, Josh Frost and a band of market specialists are making the Fed's ultimate Wall Street trade. They are buying hundreds of billions of dollars of United States Treasury securities on the open market in a controversial attempt to keep interest rates low and, in the process, revive the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WASHINGTON -- Top officials at the Federal Reserve were feeling better about the economy, but not so much that they considered scaling back their $600 billion effort to hold down long-term interest rates and stimulate the recovery by buying government bonds. Concerns about falling prices have eased for the Fed's decision makers, who now believe that inflation will gradually rise, but remain below the desired level of about 2 percent for some time, according to minutes from their Dec. 14 meeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College endowments returned an average of 12.6 percent in fiscal 2010 -- and, unusually, the smallest endowments performed better than the largest ones, according to preliminary data from 80 colleges and universities gathered for the comprehensive Nacubo-Commonfund Study of Endowments to be released in January. According to the data, institutions with assets under $25 million had an average return of 14.1 percent, compared with 12.3 percent for those with assets over $1 billion. Smaller endowments tend to be invested more than larger ones in traditional assets such as domestic equities, which performed well in the rebound from the previous year's sell-off, and fixed income, which benefited from declining interest rates. The institutions spent an average of 4.3 percent of their endowment in fiscal 2010, and on average, annual giving paid for 6.2 percent of their operating budgets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

HOME buyers concerned about high closing costs in this tight economy might be tempted by a type of loan that requires no cash outlay in exchange for paying a higher interest rate, especially because rates are already at historically low levels. But these ''zero-cost'' or ''no-cost'' financing deals, as they're known, could end up costing a borrower dearly over time, some mortgage experts warn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shares on Wall Street moved lower Wednesday as protests against austerity measures in Europe brought new worries about the region's financial system. The dollar fell further against other currencies on anticipation of more action by the Federal Reserve to push American interest rates down. Gold continued to climb, closing at $1,309.85 an ounce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fear that began in Athens, raced through Europe and finally shook the stock market in the United States is now affecting the broader global economy, from the ability of Asian corporations to raise money to the outlook for money-market funds where American savers park their cash. What was once a local worry about the debt burden of one of Europe's smallest economies has quickly gone global. Already, jittery investors have forced Brazil to scale back bond sales as interest rates soared and caused currencies in Asia like the Korean won to weaken. Ten companies around the world that had planned to issue stock delayed their offerings, the most in a single week since October 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Bank of England and the European Central Bank warned on Thursday that the outlook for economic recovery remained uncertain -- so much so that the British central bank said it would extend its policy of printing new money. Despite some signs of improvement in the European economy and financial markets, the two central banks, as expected, kept their benchmark interest rates unchanged at record lows -- 0.5 percent for the Bank of England and 1 percent for the European Central Bank. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Suddenly it seems as if everyone is talking about inflation. Stern opinion pieces warn that hyperinflation is just around the corner. And markets may be heeding these warnings: Interest rates on long-term government bonds are up, with fear of future inflation one possible reason for the interest-rate spike. But does the big inflation scare make any sense? Basically, no -- with one caveat I'll get to later. And I suspect that the scare is at least partly about politics rather than economics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

DEBT is a huge problem, for some people a great deal more than for others. Yet despite reams of literature on the topic, some important guidance is missing. Getting out of debt still is couched, typically, as a straightforward money issue. Most advice centers on the mechanics of interest rates and minimum payments, ways to cut expenses and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The dollar is sliding back into a rapid downward trajectory as the United States enters a new era of ultra-low interest rates and investors reassess the currency's worth in a drawn-out recession. A day after the Federal Reserve adopted a near zero-interest rate policy to stimulate the economy, the euro jumped as much as 4 cents against the dollar, the largest single-day move since the euro's birth in 1999. Against the yen, the dollar tumbled to 87.14, the lowest level in 13 years. The dollar was also weaker against the pound and the Swiss franc. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Following is the full text of Tuesday's statement by the Federal Reserve: The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to establish a target range for the federal funds rate of 0 to 1/4 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

South Korea's central bank on Thursday announced the deepest cut in interest in its history in an attempt to cushion its economy from the global downturn. The announcement followed China's disclosure that its economic indicators for November showed the country's economy slowing much more rapidly than expected, increasing expectations that Beijing will accelerate efforts to bolster growth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One of the questions lurking beneath the surface of the national debate over the mortgage crisis, which has placed six million Americans at risk of losing their homes this year and next, is who is to blame. Clearly, reckless bankers, feckless regulators and greedy traders in the shadowy derivatives market must take a major share of responsibility for the current financial mess. But how much blame should be placed on the shoulders of the people who bought homes with mortgages they could not afford, or with complicated and confusing repayment schemes that threaten them with sharply higher interest rates and mushrooming monthly payments? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday sharply lowered its projection for economic activity this year and next, and signaled that additional interest rate reductions may be needed to help combat the worst financial crisis in more than a half-century. With the economy forecast to lose traction, or even jolt into reverse, unemployment will move higher, the Fed predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The promise of lower interest rates and new federal efforts to stem the financial crisis failed to dispel the fear gripping Wall Street on Tuesday. Stocks rose at the session's opening but soon began to fall, and the selling intensified during the afternoon, even after Ben S. Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, all but pledged to cut interest rates by the end of the month. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 508 points, or 5.1 percent, extending a slide of months that has erased a third of its value in a year. In the last five trading days alone, the Dow has lost 1,400 points. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two key European central banks left their benchmark interest rates unchanged on Thursday as they decided to wait to assess whether sharply slower growth would help to curb inflation. The European Central Bank left borrowing costs at 4.25 percent, while the Bank of England held its benchmark interest rate at 5 percent despite evidence of a recession. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

DISAGREEMENT AT THE FED The inflation hawks are starting to openly challenge the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates low. RUNUP TO OLYMPIC GOLDNBC started laying plans eight years ago to attract viewers and make money on its Olympics coverage, starting with pushing the dates of the Games back to August. [C1.] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

RISING RATES Worried about the health of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, bond investors are driving up interest rates on their debt, and the cost is being passed on to consumers. 'REDEFINING BAD' The Wachovia Corporation posted an $8.9 billion second-quarter loss, slashed its dividend and announced that it would cut 6,350 jobs after losses tied to mortgages soared, but investors saw signs of hope in the red ink.[C1.] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Federal Reserve's aggressive rate-cutting campaign may be at an end. In the minutes of the Fed's last meeting, released on Wednesday, central bankers sent the strongest signals yet that they planned to hold interest rates steady barring ''a significant weakening'' in the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In responding to the subprime mortgage crisis, most Congressional Republicans and many Bush administration officials apparently believe they have time on their side. They are wrong. The housing bust is feeding on itself: price declines provoke foreclosures, which provoke more price declines. And the problem is not limited to subprime mortgages. There is an entirely different category of risky loans whose impact has yet to be felt -- loans made to creditworthy borrowers but with tricky terms and interest rates that will start climbing next year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the interest rates of credit cards for medical bills in the U.S. It is stated that though special financing plans for health care carry risks, the regular use of credit cards may be dangerous. However, it is cautioned that the interest rates on credit cards may be unpredictable, as they may rise if a card holder fails to pay on time. Mark Rukavina, consumer adviser, advises that consumers should know about their payment plan before resorting to credit card payments.

The article informs that the Dow Jones industrial average fell nearly 90 points on April 11, 2007 after a statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve's (Fed) meeting that the central bank will not rule out an interest rate increase to curb inflation. The statements from the Fed, accompanying its rate decisions, have indicated the Fed's close watch on the U.S. economy and left open the possibility of a rate cut.