QUANTITATIVE EASING

U.S. stock index futures point to a lower open on Thursday weighed down by weak Chinese data, and concerns about the Fed's bond-buying program.

This is how influential the chairman of the Federal Reserve is.

However, the Fed said downside risks to the economy and job market have "diminished since the fall."

The Fed chair ducked questions on a possible departure, and added he may start tapering QE this year. He wants "maximum employment."

Which types of U.S. investors will gain when the Federal Reserve eventually tapers -- i.e., decreases -- its quantitative easing program?

Economists expect the Federal Reserve Wed. to continue, for the time being, its QE program of $85 billion in asset purchases per month.

ECB's Mario Draghi said Tuesday that the bank may resort to unusual policy measures such as negative deposit rates to save the euro zone.

The global party may be ending. Investors dump stocks on concern the U.S. will stop shoveling cheap money into the markets.

The May jobs report suggests the economy is stronger than it was nine months ago when the Fed launched its third round of monetary easing.

PIMCO's Bill Gross, head of the world's largest bond fund, critiqued Ben Bernanke's bond policy, saying the Fed is as much at fault as Congress.

The currency's new low, 10.13 rand per U.S. dollar, is part of a broader investor sell-off in 20 emerging market currencies.

Goldman Sachs analysts said in a research report Friday that a mass sale of U.S. Treasury bonds is under way.

On March 14, Fannie Mae stock was floundering around 50 cents per share. On March 15, the fuse was lit on shares of FNMA as housing legislation rumors swirled around the digisphere. By March 16, the stock jumped 20 percent, and by the end of the next day it hit 75 cents per share -- a 50 percent spike in a week on pure rumors. Not bad.A week later, Fannie Mae stock tripled, then lost all of the value it gained in the same day. Does anybody else see a serious problem with this? I do. Originally, I wanted to buy Fannie Mae stock, thinking it sounded like a lucrative idea. The line of thought went something like: The better the housing market does, the better the stock will do, right?

Comments by Ben Bernanke and the latest China manufacturing activity report pull down Asian stock markets.

U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open on Wednesday ahead of a key testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke where he is expected to talk about the future of the country's monetary policy.

The surplus the United States government magically conjured up for the month of April has created a media maelstrom. A portion of the surplus was on behalf of higher tax receipts following tax season. Another part was a surprise influx of cash from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- to the tune of $95 billion.It would therefore make sense for the U.S. government to keep Fannie and Freddie as long as possible, to serve as a profit engine to zip up its deficits.Think about it. At the moment, the government has Fannie and Freddie in conservatorship. And for the time being, it’s unknown whether shareholders will be entitled to future profits -- all profits currently go to the government. There is also rumor that the two companies will be consolidated into a single entity.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policies appear to be helping exporters, according to the latest BoJ report.

The bank also maintained its purchase of 375 billion pounds ($584 billion) of debt after the UK narrowly avoided a triple-dip recession.

U.S. stocks set more records Tuesday, as a four-year long bull market stampedes into a fifth year.

Most economists expect the economy to slow in the second quarter, due to the $85 billion sequester.

Asian stocks mostly advanced Monday, led by gains in Japanese shares, which rose to a five-year high of 2.2 percent, before closing up 1.89 percent.