Central Bank | featured news

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke gave no indication Tuesday that the central bank was about to launch new economic stimulus, even as the Fed chief painted a worrisome picture of an economy losing momentum on a wide scale.

A closely watched survey by Japan's central bank has found big manufacturers have more confidence in the world's third-largest economy than they did three months ago.

Stocks advanced on Tuesday, putting the S&P 500 on track for its fourth straight gain on increased hopes for central bank stimulus measures ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting.

World stock markets rebounded Friday on anticipation that central banks will act to keep any political instability in Greece following weekend elections from destabilizing the global economy.

Inflation in the euro zone fell to its lowest level in more than a year in May, giving the European Central Bank more leeway to stimulate the flagging 17-nation economy as the intensifying debt crisis takes its toll on confidence.

India's industrial output was flat in April, deepening worries of an economic slowdown in Asia's third-largest economy and upping the pressure on the central bank to cut interest rates next week.

The central bank also said it would maintain its program of low-interest lending to euro-zone banks through the end of the year.

The European Commission will propose far-reaching powers for regulators to deal with failing banks on Wednesday, a step towards the banking union the European Central Bank has demanded to secure the euro's future.

The European Central Bank stepped up pressure on Thursday for a joint fund to guarantee bank deposits in the euro zone, saying Europe needed news tools to fight bank runs as the bloc's debt crisis drives investors to flee risk.

China's central bank cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves on Saturday, freeing an estimated 400 billion yuan ($63.5 billion) for lending to head-off the risk of a sudden slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.