QUANTITATIVE EASING

U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Tuesday as investor sentiment turned positive on expectations for new U.S. Federal Reserve stimulus measures.

Crude oil prices slightly advanced Tuesday as investors awaited testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for hints about further easing.

Dennis Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said Friday he might support more central bank attempts to stimulate the nation's moribund economy.

Asian stock markets plunged Thursday as unexpected interest rate cut in South Korea fueled concerns over global economic slowdown and the Federal Reserve offered no strong hints about another round of quantitative easing.

Most European markets fell Thursday as investor sentiment continued to be negative over increasing concerns of the faltering global economic situation and deepening debt burden of the euro zone.

Crude oil prices lowered slightly and hovered above $85 a barrel in Asian trade Thursday, as investors opted for caution ahead of the Chinese GDP data.

Newly released minutes of the U.S. Central bank's June 19-20 Federal Open Market Committee meeting were being taken by the stock market as indicating unwillingness to engage in further monetary easing.

U.S. stock index futures point to higher opening Wednesday, but investors remain watchful amid concerns that the sluggish global economy and the euro zone debt burden will hurt the earnings of companies.

U.S. stock index futures point to a lower opening Monday, as investor sentiment remained fragile amid concerns of a gloomy global economic outlook.

The rate of inflation in China slowed down in June from the previous month, showing signs of a gradual decline in price pressure to make room for monetary easing.

Three of the world's biggest financial institutions in the U.S. are closing their European money market funds to new investments after the European Central Bank (ECB) reduced its benchmark rate to a record low of 0.75 percent and slashed deposit rates to zero on Thursday, undermining global investor confidence.

Asian stock markets declined Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of U.S. employment data due later in the day while major central bank?s actions to stimulate the global economy failed to calm market jitters.

European markets fell Friday as investors were not encouraged by the rate cuts announced by central banks.

China's factory downturn worsened in June as a key activity index hit a seven-month low; the report is expected to raise expectations that the central bank may seek more policy easing.

Central banks are reaching the limit of their ability to boost economic growth and the potential for harmful side effects of more extraordinary monetary easing is growing, the Bank for International Settlements warned.

Most Asian markets fell this week as investors were worried after the U.S. Federal Reserve refused to announce a further round of quantitative easing and the HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) indicated that China's manufacturing activity was faltering.

The price of gold was losing value on Thursday in as the U.S. dollar strengthened

Chinese market regulators announced Thursday they could be easing the rules that currently allow only a small group of foreign banks to invest in the national equity and bond markets, a move that is seen as part of a wider campaign to open the country's financial system to global competition. Whether by design or by coincidence, however, the move also takes a tremendous amount of pressure off the country's central bankers, who are between a rock and a hard place in deciding whether or n......

Yesterday the Fed announced that they will extend their yield curve 'twisting'

Crude oil futures declined Thursday, weighed down by an unexpected jump in the U.S. crude supplies and the Federal Reserve's limited help to revive the domestic economy.

U.S. stock index futures point to a lower opening Thursday after the Department of Labor's initial jobless claims report, which showed that more people than expected filed for unemployment benefits, and the National Association of Realtors' report on existing home sales.