QUANTITATIVE EASING

The Federal Reserve could keep interest rates ultra-low for even longer than investors expect if the economic outlook worsens or inflation drops, minutes from the central bank's last meeting suggested.

China's central bank said on Friday that it expected the dollar to strengthen this year, but it raised the specter of worldwide asset bubbles and inflation.

The Federal Reserve's monetary policy is still appropriate because of high unemployment and minimal inflationary pressures in the United States, a Fed policymaker said on Tuesday.

Central bankers can continue to ease monetary policy even when interest rates are at zero, and should do so if they sense the threat of deflation, a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council said on Saturday.

Central bankers can continue to ease monetary policy even when interest rates are at zero, and should do so if they sense the threat of deflation, a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council said on Saturday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve's balance sheet rose to a record high in the latest week, surpassing the previous week's record level, Fed data released on Thursday showed.

A modest U.S. economic recovery still warrants the Federal Reserve's ultra-low interest rate policy, but the central bank stands ready to remove stimulus once the expansion looks solid, Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Thursday.

A bumpy U.S. recovery and subdued inflation warrant the central bank's promise to keep benchmark interest rates low for an extended period, a senior Federal Reserve official said on Thursday.

A bumpy U.S. recovery and subdued inflation warrant the Federal Reserve's promise to keep benchmark interest rates low for an extended period, a senior Federal Reserve official said on Thursday.

A senior Chinese central banker on Thursday played down the need for an imminent rise in borrowing costs to keep a balance between growth and inflation in the world's third-largest economy.

The Federal Reserve has not been clear enough about how it intends to unwind its unprecedented monetary easing campaign, and some of the tools it expects to use may not work, monetary experts will tell Congress on Thursday.

Technology plays led Asian shares higher on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve maintained its pledge to hold interest rates near zero, which kept the dollar near one-month lows against major currencies.

The Federal Reserve renewed its pledge on Tuesday to keep interest rates near zero for an extended period even as it sounded more upbeat about jobs.

The end of the Federal Reserve's program of purchasing $1.25 trillion of mortgage-backed securities at the end of March is a form of tightening monetary policy, the chief of the largest U.S. bond fund manager said on Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve renewed its pledge on Tuesday to keep interest rates near zero for an extended period even as it sounded more upbeat about jobs.

World stocks climbed on Tuesday while the dollar was corralled as investors bet the U.S. central bank will repeat its vow of keeping interest rates low for an extended period after its monthly meeting.

Trying to guess when the Bank of Japan will make its next policy move? For now, try watching the yen.

The Federal Reserve should shift quantitative easing policies based on the U.S. economy's evolution, in the same way those changes guide interest rate policy, a top Fed official said on Thursday.

The Bank of England held fire on both interest rates and quantitative easing on Thursday as it paused to assess the impact of the massive stimulus it has already injected into the economy.

The Bank of Japan remains under steady government pressure to loosen monetary policy further, even as the central bank's ammunition to beat deflation dries up. While the government has not openly said what exactly it wants the BOJ to do, it is relying on it to act in the event of a sharp rise in the yen or in bond yields that could threaten a fragile economic recovery.

The euro languished near one-year lows against the yen on Friday, while commodities and Asian stocks struggled in tepid trade as worries about Greece and the health of the world economy took hold.