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• Fed's Poole Says Low Inflation Eased Blow From Housing Weakness

  Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis President William Poole said on Monday that low inflation must be a central bank's prime goal, adding this had helped cushion the U.S. economy from its cooling housing market.

• Fed's Poole Says U.S. Not Heading Into Recession

  St. Louis Federal Reserve President William Poole on Friday dismissed fears that the U.S. economy was heading into a recession, and said there was no pressing need for the central bank to act against a falling stock market.

• Greenspan Says Slump Possible, But Not Probable-Report

  Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was quoted as saying on Thursday that a recession in the United States is possible, though not probable this year as inventory problems in the economy are being addressed quickly, Bloomberg reported.

• Fed Discussed Altering Longstanding Tightening Bias

  Federal Reserve officials were uncertain inflation was firmly on a downward path at their last meeting, minutes of their Jan. 30-31 meeting released on Wednesday show.

• Fed Chairman Bernanke Challenged on Inflation

  

  Rep. Barney Frank argues that prospects of slower growth seem to be equally as important a risk as the possibility of a flare-up of inflation.

• Fed's Poole Expects Slowdown In Consumer Spending

  Saint Louis Federal Reserve Bank President William Poole said on Thursday that negative U.S. savings rates probably reflected problems in measurement, but would still require a slowdown in spending at some point.

• Retail Sales Turn in Weak Performance

  Retail sales, hurt by a big drop in auto purchases, slowed at the start of the year while business inventories turned in the poorest showing in 17 months.  The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that retail sales were essentially flat in January, the poorest performance since a 0.2% drop in sales in October.

• Fed's Fisher Says Interest Hike Ahead If Inflation Doesn't Ebb

  Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher said on Friday he is fairly comfortable with the inflation outlook but would "aggressively" argue for further interest rate increases if inflation does not ebb as expected

• Fed's Poole Expects Inflation Will Likely Fall This Year

  Saint Louis Federal Reserve President William Poole said  inflation ought to moderate this year amid solid growth, but if this failed to happen, he would press for policy action.

• Philly Fed's Plosser Says Fed May Have To Raise Rates Again

  Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Plosser said more policy tightening may be needed to keep price rises in check as the economy resumes growth.

• Commerce Bancorp Discloses Federal Probe, Warns on Profit

  Commerce also reported a 68% increase in fourth-quarter profit to $78.7 million, or 40 cents a share, from $46.9 million, or 26 cents. Profit matched the average analyst forecast, according to Reuters Estimates.

• 2/3 of Bond Dealers See Fed Rate Cut in 2007 - Reuters

  A stronger-than-expected employment report failed to dent expectations the next Fed policy move would be an interest rate cut this year, a Reuters poll of Wall Street economists showed on Friday.

• Mortgage Delinquencies and Foreclosures on the Rise

  Late payments and new foreclosures on U.S. homes rose in the third quarter and are likely to grow as a massive wave of adjustable-rate mortgages reset at higher interest rates, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday.

• Dollar Boosted By Retail Data

  The dollar gained after U.S. consumer spending in November outstripped expectations, but gains were kept in check as many still expect the economy to slow in 2007.

• Dollar Mixed As Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged

  The dollar was mixed against major currencies after the Federal Reserve kept benchmark U.S. interest rates steady at 5.25%, as expected, and said inflation was likely to moderate over time.

• Dollar Down On Greenspan Comments

  The dollar fell against the euro and pared gains versus the yen on Monday after ex-Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan warned investors to expect "a few years of dollar weakness."

• Fed's Kohn: Inflation Has Shifted Down; Risks Remain

  Federal Reserve Vice-Chairman Donald Kohn said the economy still faced a risk from potential inflation even though the trend in prices currently appeared to be downward.