Well the Fed made its choice and anyone who thought the Fed cared...

Well the Fed made its choice and anyone who thought the Fed cared about the U. S. dollar found out otherwise. The U. S. dollar fell to a record low against the Euro, gold is breaking out to a 27 year high and oil is at another new high as well, up 33% or so on the year. Following is the FOMC statement. BEA 4th Quarter GDP 1st Estimate 0.7% Q&A: Why Did GDPNow Rise After Durable Goods? When are Construction Revisions Coming? Well the Fed made its choice and anyone who thought the Fed cared about the U. S. dollar found out otherwise. The U. S. dollar fell to a record low against the Euro, gold is breaking out to a 27 year high and oil is at another new high as well, up 33% or so on the year. The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to lower its target for the federal funds rate 50 basis points to 4-3/4 percent. Economic growth was moderate during the first half of the year, but the tightening of credit conditions has the potential to intensify the housing correction and to restrain economic growth more generally. Today’s action is intended to help forestall some of the adverse effects on the broader economy that might otherwise arise from the disruptions in financial markets and to promote moderate growth over time. Readings on core inflation have improved modestly this year. However, the Committee judges that some inflation risks remain, and it will continue to monitor inflation developments carefully. Developments in financial markets since the Committee’s last regular meeting have increased the uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook. The Committee will continue to assess the effects of these and other developments on economic prospects and will act as needed to foster price stability and sustainable economic growth. Obviously the Fed is a lot more worried than they are letting on. This is yet another panic move by Bernanke. The first panic move was a cut in the discount rate 50 basis points (See ). And more panic moves can be expected when the economy does not respond to these cuts. The stock market may be excited today but the bond market was unimpressed to say the least. I was listening to Bloomberg and a comment from the CEO of homebuilder Toll Brothers (TOL) was repeated over and over. ' '. But the above yield curve shows how little this cut is going to matter to anyone in a mortgage tied to the 10 year treasury. Mortgage rates are still far higher than teaser rates of 2-3 years ago, there is a distinct possibility of a revolt on the long end starting today, and/or mortgage rates may continue to disconnect from treasuries as they have done now for quite some time. Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo (WFC) both lowered their prime rate to 7.75% from 8.25%. In other words they have given up 100% of benefit of the drop in rates by passing it all on. But how many qualify for the prime rate, and more to the point who really wants to borrow in a clearly slowing economy unless they have to? '. And the ship I am talking about is the economy not just homebuilders. besides, the medicine is wrong. It was panic moves by Greenspan (with Bernanke voting with Greenspan every time), that created the credit bubble. Panic moves to lower interest rates can hardly be the cure. Bernanke has proven the inability to distinguish problem from solution. I talked about this in Micromanagement by the Fed in response to every economic ill just creates bigger and bigger bubbles until it all blows sky high. It's high time to abolish the Fed an give the free market a chance. The content on this site is provided as general information only and should not be taken as investment advice. All site content, including advertisements, shall not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument, or to participate in any particular trading or investment strategy. The ideas expressed on this site are solely the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of sponsors or firms affiliated with the author(s). The author may or may not have a position in any company or advertiser referenced above. Any action that you take as a result of information, analysis, or advertisement on this site is ultimately your responsibility. Consult your investment adviser before making any investment decisions.