United States

• Friday, May 16th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Bernanke urges banks to continue capital-raising efforts

  United States Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke urged financial institutions to remain proactive in their capital-raising efforts as market and economic conditions improve but he also called for better risk management amid “ongoing fragility” in the markets.

• Wednesday, May 14th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US food prices in April soar at fastest rate in 18 years

  United States food prices jumped at the fastest pace for 18 years in April, but consumer price inflation still eased. Consumer prices increased 0.2% in the month, down from March's figure of 0.3%, even though food costs jumped by 0.9%, according to Labor Department figures.

• Tuesday, May 13th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US Fed member formally puts inflation as a “key risk”

  The president of the US Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland Sandra Pianalto said Tuesday in Paris that inflation remains a top risk to the economic outlook, but that the Federal Reserve's rate-cutting strategy was likely not to stoke inflationary pressures.

• Sunday, May 11th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Third US bank failure in 2008; regulators to increase staff

  

  The United States ANB Financial National Association Arkansas based banks have been closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency after discovering “unsafe and unsound” business practices there. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has named a receiver.

• Friday, May 9th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Citigroup wants to sell U$S 400 billion of assets in three years

  The United States banking giant Citigroup announced it wants to sell 400 billion US dollars of assets over the next three years as part of its bid to return to profit. It has 500 billion US dollars of “legacy assets” that it wants to reduce to 100 billion

• Wednesday, May 7th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Fresh calls for Hillary to drop out of Democratic party nomination

  

  A staunch supporter of US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, South Dakota Senator George McGovern called on the New York Senator to drop out of the race and let Senator Barack Obama secure the Democratic Party nomination.

• Friday, May 2nd 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  CNN shows Bush as most unpopular US president

  

  A new opinion poll from CNN released Thursday shows that 71% of the US public disapproves of President George Bush handling of his job, making him the most unpopular in modern US history.

• Wednesday, April 30th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Fed cuts rate to 2%; forecasts soft growth in next quarters

  The United States Federal Reserve cut on Wednesday its key interest rate 25 points from 2.25% to 2% as it aims to avoid a possible US recession. It is the seventh rate cut since last September, when the rate was cut from 5.25% to 4.75% and in the range of what markets were expecting.

• Thursday, April 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  Hillary and Obama determined to fight to the very end

  Hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama entered Wednesday the final phase of the US Democratic presidential primary with Clinton saying her decisive Pennsylvania win proved she was the best candidate to beat Republican John McCain in the race for the White House.

• Thursday, April 24th 2008 - 21:00 UTC

  US willing to help Argentina reach accord with Paris Club

  Argentina is too an important country to be left out of international money markets, said US Under Secretary of State for Latinamerica Thomas Shannon following his recent visit to Argentina when he met with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.