Ben Bernanke

Why Bernanke has become irrelevant

Investors basically shrugged off the Fed Chairman's speech, and that makes sense.

FORTUNE -- After months and months and months of speculation, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke finally appears to be ready to step in and help boost the economy. Unfortunately, Bernanke, and the Fed, may no longer matter.

The economy started to show signs of slowing again back in May. If Bernanke had acted then, the Fed would have been able MORE

Obama should have fired Bernanke a long time ago

With the economy limping along just months before the big election, the president is probably wondering if he should have sent his Fed chairman to the unemployment line.

By John Cassidy, contributor

FORTUNE -- In the summer and fall of 2009, President Obama faced a tricky decision: Should he reappoint Ben Bernanke, whose four-year term as chairman of the Fed was coming to an end? On the one hand, Bernanke had MORE

Bernanke boards the happiness bandwagon

Our economy is growing, yet many Americans are still struggling. Fed chief Ben Bernanke says we need a better way to measure our well-being.

FORTUNE – Whenever we try to assess the health of the economy, we usually go by data sets that look at large groups, such as Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. But in recent years, a growing number of economists have suggested that GDP might not capture entirely MORE

Why the bright spot in housing won't save the economy

Since the 1970s, housing rebounds have served as reliable signs of brightening economic prospects. Not this time around.

FORTUNE – As economic recessions go, it was widely believed that once the housing market recovered, new construction, home sales, and the like would drive growth across the broader economy. This happened in the U.S. during economic downturns in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.

This time around, don't hold your breath. "The recovery is MORE

Will the Fed's Twist get banks to lend?

Why Bernanke's latest effort to stimulate the economy may come up short.

Fortune -- It's not clear banks want to twist again.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve unveiled its latest $267 billion effort to lower interest rates and make it cheaper for people and companies to borrow. The program is an extension of one the Fed launched last fall, nicknamed Operation Twist. Rates do appear to have dropped. The question is whether MORE

Inflation likely to continue to fall

New study suggests that stocks do a better job of predicting inflation than gold, real estate or anything else.

Fortune -- Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke often gets criticized for overreacting to the stock market. But maybe that's exactly what he should be doing.

QE2 and Operation Twist were announced after market drops. And the recent swoon in the Dow, despite rebounding yesterday, along with some rather weak economic data, have reignited MORE

Picking the QE3 trade

The Fed's stimulus efforts could have an uncertain result for stocks and bonds.

Correction 8:45, June 7

FORTUNE -- When Ben Bernanke launches a ship full of cash into the market where does it land? Answering that question might determine what stocks or bonds go up or down in the next few months.

Market observers seem increasingly sure that the Federal Reserve will reopen its money spigot. Earlier this week, two Morgan Stanley MORE

Watch out! Is the Fed pushing us into another bubble?

The economy is getting back on track, so maybe it's time for policy makers to loosen their grip on interest rates.

By Sheila Bair, contributor

FORTUNE -- In a recent series of college lectures, Ben Bernanke sounded a positive note, extolling the Fed's low-interest-rate policy and predicting sustainable economic growth. I want to believe him, but his words echo the confidence exuded by the Fed in late 2006 when it missed MORE

March jobs report: What would Ben Bernanke say?

Many forecasters have gotten more optimistic about the economic outlook, while the Fed Chairman has been consistently cautious. The latest employment figures may give him vindication.

FORTUNE – As Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reviews Friday's disappointing jobs report, he might just say "I told you so."

For the past few months, data from the Labor Department suggested the growth of jobs was firming up. But Bernanke never really seemed to buy MORE

Exclusive: Bernanke breaks bread with top bankers

By Stephen Gandel and Dan Primack

Ben Bernanke makes a rare Wall Street appearance.

FORTUNE -- After completing a series of public lectures in Washington, D.C. last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke quietly slipped into New York City for a private luncheon on Friday with Wall Street executives.

Fortune has learned that attendees included Jamie Dimon (J.P. Morgan), Bob Diamond (Barclays), Brady Dougan (Credit Suisse), Larry Fink (Blackrock), Gerald Hassell (Bank of MORE