On Tuesday (9/18/07) the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate by a half point to 4.75 percent, the first cut in four years, to protect the U.S. from sinking into a recession sparked by fallout from the housing-market collapse.
“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,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement after meeting in Washington. The central bank will “act as needed to foster price stability and sustainable economic growth.”
All I can say is, it’s about time! Some of us have been predicting bad things for awhile now and calling on the fed to take action. It’s pretty obvious that, given the extent to which the U.S. economy is driven by consumer spending, any change that would result in a large number of consumers having less money to spend, such as the loss of or in some cases the complete collapse of home owner equity, would affect the economy as a whole. To think otherwise is really wishfull thinking.
- Frank
Frank Ramos, REALTOR, e-PRO
Real Estate Consultant
http://www.northvirginiahomes.com/
http://www.agent-wealth.com/
Keller Williams Fairfax Gateway
12700 Fair Lakes Circle Suite 120
Fairfax, VA 22033