Business news for Mon, 17 Dec 2007 & with word federal. 37 news.

AUSTRALIA'S corporate regulators remain "watchful and alert" to lingering fallout from the US sub-prime market crisis, federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says.

A federal spending bill being considered by congress would provide Minnesota with $195 million in funding for reconstruction of the I-35W bridge, state officials said Monday.

NEW YORK -- Wall Street extended last week's losses Monday as investors remained concerned about flagging growth and rising prices, and were skeptical that a special Federal Reserve credit auction will be a solution.

The Bush administration reacted coolly Monday to a suggestion from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan that the government should consider bolder efforts to deal with the current mortgage crisis.

The federal government on Monday announced a plan that will allow for greater product recall powers, stiffer fines for manufacturers and more product safety inspectors.

ASIAN stocks fell the most in four months, led by Samsung Electronics Co and HSBC Holdings Plc, on concern accelerating inflation will limit interest-rate cuts, threatening global growth. Samsung declined the most in three weeks. HSBC and Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd paced losses in Hong Kong, where interest rates track those set by the Federal Reserve, after United States consumer prices rose the most since 2005. Centro Properties Group plummeted 76 percent in Sydney after the owner of US shopping malls said it was struggling to refinance debt. "Sentiment in the region is getting worse," said David Ng, who helps manage US$954 million at Hwang-DBS Asset Management Sdn in Kuala Lumpur. "First we had slowing US growth; now add on inflation fears. That makes for a bad combination." The MSCI Asia Pacific Index lost 2.9 percent to 152.28 as of 6:49pm in Tokyo, its sharpest decline since August 17, Bloomberg News said. The benchmark is set for its lowest annual gain

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday will propose a much stricter set of rules for mortgage lenders as part of the central bank's effort to avert abusive lending.

Federal investigators are examining whether some insiders pulled money out of Bear's troubled hedge funds, while others were blocked from doing so

By Axel Merk. "True leadership may have finally emerged to resolve the subprime crisis, although it was difficult to spot during a tumultuous week at the Federal Reserve (Fed). On Tuesday, December 11, 2007, the Fed cut interest rates by 0.25%."

The Federal Reserve is providing $20 billion in loans to banks as part of an unprecedented auction process to ease a global credit crisis and make sure financial institutions can keep lending to their customers.

The Federal Communications Commission approved two new rules on Tuesday that are likely to reshape the nation's media landscape by setting new parameters for the size and scope of the largest news and cable companies.

The Federal Reserve moved Tuesday to impose tough restrictions meant to curb unfair and deceptive home-lending practices and prevent a recurrence of this year's subprime meltdown.

Wall Street extended last week's losses Monday as investors remained skeptical that the Federal Reserve's first credit auction will be effective in loosening up a tight market. The Fed is offering $20 billion in 28-day credit through an auction Monday....

AP - Wall Street extended last week's losses Monday as investors remained skeptical that the Federal Reserve's first credit auction will be effective in loosening up a tight market.

AP - European and Asian markets slid Monday after signs of accelerating inflation in the U.S. dampened hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates further to shore up the struggling American economy.

European stock markets fell sharply this morning, hit by fears that strong US inflation figures on Friday may prevent the Federal Reserve from cutting US interest rates.

Barring any last-minute congressional acrobatics, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin will get his long-desired vote to revise rules on cross-media ownership.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Growth in the factory sector in the New York region slowed in December, the New York Federal Reserve Bank reported Monday. The Empire State index fell to 10.3 in December from 27.4 in November. It's the lowest since May. Readings over zero indicate growth. The new orders index fell 10 points to 14.3, and the shipments index fell 11 points to 21.1.

The haggling has already begun on Capitol Hill over the next federal transportation bill — a huge pot of money that gets divvied up every five years to finance highway construction, railroad improvements, bridge repairs and other critical infrastructure projects nationwide. The last time a ...

As a biofuel producer and developer of greenhouse gas credits, I feel compelled to set the record straight regarding recent coverage in Crain's and other media outlets disparaging ethanol. I'll start with a concession: I agree that federal mandates imposed by the government, such as the Renewable ...