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• Australians Busy Borrowing and Building in September Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 10:56 PM ET

  Australian businesses were busy borrowing in September despite interest rates at decade highs, while a jump in approvals to build new homes provided a tentative sign of a recovery in housing construction.

• Market Insider/Wednesday Look Ahead Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 9:04 PM ET

  Credit crankiness hangs around the stock market as the Fed winds up its rate meeting Wednesday. Investors are counting on a rate cut, and without one, the market could see some significant selling.

• Winners & Losers: Microsoft Gains, Pitney Bowes Falls Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 5:58 PM ET

  All eyes are on the Fed, as investors await the Federal Open Market Committee's Wednesday announcement on interest rates. Many analysts anticipate a fed funds rate cut of 25 basis points.

• As Fed Meets, Markets Still Count On Interest-Rate Cut Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 4:46 PM ET

  

  Fed policy-makers began meeting as financial markets continued to bet that the central bank will cut interest rates to shore up the faltering housing and credit markets.

• Dollar Drops to Another Record Low Ahead of Fed Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 4:00 PM ET

  

  The dollar fell to a record low against the euro for the third consecutive session on Tuesday, a day ahead of the outcome of a Federal Reserve meeting at which an interest rate cut is expected.

• Fed Rate Cut: Not Such A Sure Thing? Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 12:56 PM ET

  A decidedly negative tone has replaced Monday's complacency as the Fed starts its two-day meeting today. A Wall Street Journal article detailing why a rate cut isn't a sure thing has put traders on edge and cast doubt about the cut to the Fed funds rate that most of them think is a "sure thing."

• Consumer Confidence Plunges To a Two-Year Low Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 10:48 AM ET

  

  U.S. consumer confidence declined for the third month in a row in October to its lowest level in two years on growing concerns about weakening business conditions and the impact that could have on the job market.

• U.S. Is Committed to Strong Dollar: Paulson Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 6:45 AM ET

  The United States is strongly committed to a strong U.S. dollar and financial markets there are recovering from the subprime loan crisis even if the housing market has yet to touch bottom, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Tuesday.

• Fed Expected to Cut Rates To Head Off Recession Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 5:07 AM ET

  

  The Federal Reserve is expected to lower interest rates again this week as insurance against the threat that declining home prices and higher borrowing costs will push the economy into recession.

• Fed Rate Cut Not Sure Thing: WSJ Tuesday, 30 Oct 2007 | 5:01 AM ET

  A Federal Reserve interest rate cut this week is no sure thing and officials are not seriously considering a half-point reduction in overnight rates, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday without citing sources.

• China Eyes Fiscal, Pricing Reforms to Help Economy Monday, 29 Oct 2007 | 11:40 PM ET

  China must continue to liberalize its exchange rate regime and key areas of the economy to ward off overheating but should be cautious about opening strategic sectors to foreign investment, a top official said on Tuesday.

• Dollar Sinks to New Lows on Fed Rate Cut Hopes Monday, 29 Oct 2007 | 2:18 PM ET

  

  The dollar sank to another record against the euro on Monday, trading at as much as $1.44 against the 13-nation currency for the first time, as markets anticipated a likely interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve this week.

• Credit Crunch Part Two Monday, 29 Oct 2007 | 12:52 PM ET

  The subprime fall-out continues to claim more victims. Merrill's came as a blow - and in what is now becoming predictable for financial companies trying to get ahead of the news agenda - UBS rushed out 24hrs early the bad news on exposure and trading outlook.

• European Stocks Close Firmly Higher on Fed-Cut Hopes Monday, 29 Oct 2007 | 12:39 PM ET

  Major European markets ended in positive territory Monday, as anticipation of lower U.S. interest rates helped sentiment.

• China's Policy Tightening to Continue: Central Banker Sunday, 28 Oct 2007 | 10:33 PM ET

  China will stay the course on monetary tightening and keep a lid on money supply and credit growth, a top central bank official said.

• Winners and Losers: Tech Shares, Oil Prices Soar Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | 5:50 PM ET

  As investors wait with bated breath about whether the fed will cut rates, soaring oil prices were the week’s topic du jour.

• Dollar Falls to Fresh Low Ahead of Fed Meeting Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | 4:49 PM ET

  

  The dollar slipped to record lows against the euro and a basket of currencies Friday as investors, faced with a run of weak U.S. economic data, anticipate a Federal Reserve interest rate cut next week.

• The Market's Rate Cut Obsession Thursday, 25 Oct 2007 | 4:50 PM ET

  Another late-day rally, this one not quite as robust as the last few days, but still the Dow was at 13,550 at 2 PM ET, so we rallied almost 125 points from that low to close at 13,671.

• Why Market's Placing Faith In Fed Rate Cut Thursday, 25 Oct 2007 | 2:31 PM ET

  I noted this morning that the market seems to be placing a lot of faith in a Fed rate cut. Lowry's has noted that over the past three sessions, the Dow Industrials has gained 50, 53 and 68 points, respectively, in the final hour of trading.

• Housing Numbers: We May Not Be Rock Bottom Yet Thursday, 25 Oct 2007 | 1:54 PM ET

  

  So I'm sure many of you are scratching your heads trying to figure out how, amid the now constant din of the housing crisis, we suddenly get this report from the Commerce Dept. that new home sales and prices bumped up in September?? Well before everyone starts hailing the home builders and calling a big bad bottom to the market, a couple of key points: