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• Monday, 17 June 2013

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• Talk of QE Withdrawal Impacts Wall Street - 13 June 2013

Stocks on Wall Street fell for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, driven by uncertainty and speculation on how US central banks will go about ending stimulus measures. Analysts think it likely that in the coming months the Federal Reserve will reduce its monthly bond purchases, thereby removing one of the pillars that has been supporting the rally stock markets have been enjoying this year. The Dow lost more than 200 points, as it has done seven times since Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's May 22 congressional testimony where he implied that the Fed may start to reduce its quantitative easing in coming months.

• Weak Global Economy Reflected in FedEx Earnings - 6 September 2012

News on Wall Street on Wednesday included the earnings forecast cut by FedEx, causing the company’s stock to fall $2.54 to $85 – a drop of 2.9 percent. As the world's second-largest package courier company, FedEx has long been relied on for its overnight international shipments, but the company has cited the weak global economy as negatively impacting its profits, noting that customers around the world appear to be making use of slower, but less expensive, delivery options. As FedEx's first fiscal quarter ends on August 31, the company anticipates earning between $1.37 and $1.43 per share as opposed to previous forecasts of $1.45 to $1.60 per share.

• Wall Street Boosted by FOMC Minutes - 23 August 2012

Wall Street responded positively on Wednesday to minutes from the July 31-August 1 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee that indicated the central bank may be prepared to launch another round of monetary stimulus measures to speed up the slow recovery of the US economy. Stocks had been lower for most of Wednesday's session in response to Greece calling for extended time to meet deficit cut targets as it meets this week with officials of the European Union this week, as well as Japan's weak export statistics. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 13,172.76 being down 30.82, an improvement on its decline of 83 points earlier in the session. The Nasdaq composite index added 6.41 points to end at 3,073.67, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index, which had spent most of the day down, ended with a gain of 0.32 point at 1,413.49.

• Fed Minutes, China Slowdown, Europe Crisis Impact on Wall Street - 12 July 2012

Wall Street responded to the Federal Reserve minutes released on Wednesday afternoon with a significant slump, managing to recover to some extent and ending the day with only slight losses. Among other issues, the Federal Reserve identified a number of threats to the recovery of the US economy, with the slowdown in China and an upcoming budget crunch in Washington being cited as two examples. Most notable is that the Fed gave no indication of new strategies for stimulating the economy, as investors were hoping they would. The Dow responded to the release of the Fed's minutes at 2pm by dropping 118 points as investors digested the news, managing a recovery in the hour before the closing bell. The Dow ended the day 48.59 points down, the Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 0.02 of a point and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index lost 14.35 points – the fifth consecutive day stocks have closed lower on Wall Street.

• Wall Street Reform Remains in Spotlight - 14 June 2012

In a published interview ahead of JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon's testimony before the Senate Banking Committee Wednesday, outspoken advocate for Wall Street reform and candidate for the Massachusetts Senate, Elizabeth Warren, gave her viewpoint on a number of issues on Wall Street, that directly or indirectly impact Main Street America. Warren continues to push for the strengthening of financial reform, and has voiced her concern that Congress and financial regulators may let the opportunity for using JPMorgan's multibillion-dollar trading loss as a motivating factor for tightening Wall Street regulations pass them by.

• Wall St Boosted by Fed Rates Forecast - 26 January 2012

Following a slow start on Wall Street on Wednesday, US stocks rebounded on news that the Federal Reserve intends to keep interest rates low through to late 2014 – an adjustment of its previous indication that rates would be kept low through to mid-2013. The announcement came as the Fed's two-day policy meeting drew to a close, and by the end of the day the Dow Jones industrial average had gained 83 points, recovering from its loss of 95 points in the morning trading session. The Standard & Poor's 500 gained 11 points, after having lost 7 points earlier. The Nasdaq composite added 32 points, with Apple and software company CA Inc reporting better than expected earnings and boosting the tech-favored index.

• European Debt Crisis Could Impact U.S. - 15 December 2011

In a meeting on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke reportedly revealed to Republican senators that he is concerned about the unresolved European debt problem, noting that a collapse of European markets would be detrimental to the United States. Despite the so-called 'fiscal plan' agreed to by Eurozone members last week, Bernanke is not the only influential figure voicing his concern over the ability of European authorities to put their house in order. Britain is not in agreement with the plan, a key point of which is for Eurozone members to contribute an additional €200 billion to the IMF. A further indication that enthusiasm for the fiscal plan is waning, is the fact that the euro fell to below the $1.30 mark on Wednesday, its lowest point since mid-January this year. The reasons for the rise and fall of the euro are many, and theories and opinions abound, but the fact remains that the national debts of some euro members, most notably Greece and Ireland, have brought the currency to the brink of collapse, and leaders are desperate for a solution.