
The U.S. Federal Reserve says it can no longer remain patient about changing rates, an indication that interest rate hikes could begin this spring. But in a news conference, Fed chair Janet Yellen said the central bank has not settled on the timing of the rate hike.

Spain's Santander and Deutsche Bank have failed a US stress test designed to assess whether lenders can withstand another financial crisis. The review, carried out by the Federal Reserve, gauges whether the biggest banks operating in the US have the ability to lend to households and businesses even in times of stress.

The dollar rose on Monday against major currencies touching an 11-year peak. The Euro, which has been in an extended slump, had been up by as much as a third of a percent against the dollar but surrendered gains and traded near unchanged at just under $1.12.

Officials at the United States Federal Reserve are unlikely to raise interest rates soon, the latest minutes from the bank's January meeting have revealed. Policymakers worried about lower-than-expected inflation as well as slow wage growth in the US economy, the world's largest.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday after a two-day meeting reiterated its pledge to be patient and hold off on raising interest rates from the record low levels they’ve been at for the last six years. The Fed also pointed out it was watching “international developments” closely.

Executives of three US banks are being grilled by senators over accusations the banks engaged in unfair trading practices relating to several commodities. A two-year report found that Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase bought up large stockpiles of commodities like aluminum and copper.

Although the US Federal Reserve was worried about turmoil in emerging markets, the central bank reached an easy consensus to end its stimulus program, its latest minutes reveal.

Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen warned Friday that the gap between the rich and poor in the United States is widening and has reached a near 100-year high. In a speech at a conference on inequality in Boston, the Fed chair did not mention monetary policy nor the current turmoil in financial markets. Instead, she focused on the widening wealth disparity and how that impacts economic opportunity.

US markets rose sharply after minutes from the September meeting of the Federal Reserve were released. The transcript indicated that US central bankers were wary of raising rates too soon. Officials were worried markets were too focused on a rate rise happening during a specific period of time.

The US unemployment rate dipped to 5.9% in September, a six-year low, official figure has shown. The rate fell from 6.1% in August and is the lowest recorded since July 2008. US Labor Department also said that employers added 248,000 jobs last month, and the job growth figures for August and July were revised upwards.