Top Interest Rate Headlines 12-23-2011: Fed May Signal Low Rates Into 2014

Fed May Signal Low Rates Into 2014 
WSJ.com

The Federal Reserve could signal it is likely to keep short-term interest rates near zero into 2014 or beyond, to bolster the fragile economic recovery. Fed officials have grown increasingly uncomfortable with their August statement that they are likely to hold short-term rates exceptionally low at least through mid-2013. Some believe low inflation and high unemployment could warrant low rates for longer.
http://jlne.ws/vfOzen

Regulators Extend Comment Period on Volcker-Rule Proposal 
Bloomberg
U.S. regulators will extend the comment period for the so-called Volcker rule, giving lawmakers and banks more time to seek changes in the proposed proprietary trading ban required by the Dodd-Frank Act.
http://jlne.ws/vRQjST

UK authorities fight for MF Global's $700 million
CNNMoney
U.S. and UK authorities are wrestling over $700 million in funds from MF Global customers that has been found in the failed futures and commodities trader's London operations.
http://jlne.ws/vt341O

MF Global Trustee Seeks Money From British Arm
NY Times

The trustee liquidating MF Global’s trading operations said on Friday that his office was seeking the return of more than $600 million from the failed firm’s British arm, potentially setting up a cross-border fight over customer money.
http://jlne.ws/ti9mR1

Obama’s Signature Puts Quick End to Payroll Tax Fight 
New York Times
 The central conflict that has dogged Speaker John A. Boehner is this: how to answer the hue and cry of the far-right corner of his conference — especially the most conservative of the 87 freshmen who often seem willing to walk to the point of legislative disaster over a point of principle — and actually get things done.
http://jlne.ws/u225Nk

BofA Mulls Asset Sales to Keep Up With the Joneses
New York Times
 Bank of America Corp is lagging behind its major U.S. competitors in complying with new capital rules, leading the bank to consider even more asset sales, sources said.
http://jlne.ws/rBznF1

Italy's Senate approves emergency austerity plan
MarketWatch
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti secured approval for his €30 billion ($39 billion) emergency austerity package, media reports said. The package won a final confidence vote in the Senate after a lengthy debate Thursday evening.
http://jlne.ws/u70gT4

Moody's backs Austria's triple-A credit rating 
MarketWatch
Moody's Investors Service on Friday backed Austria's triple-A credit rating, saying it considered the government's financial strength to be very high.
http://jlne.ws/rtyUg2

Federal Judge Questions SEC Settlement 
Huffington Post
A federal judge in Milwaukee has criticized the Securities and Exchange Commission for being too soft with corporate enforcement, marking the second time the agency has been criticized for weak settlements in the past month.
http://jlne.ws/sCB3NR

Clearing in spotlight after MF Global debacle
http://jlne.ws/rFvqcJ

Muni Bonds: A Disaster That Wasn't 
Reuters
The collapse of U.S. futures brokerage MF Global has brought to light inconsistencies in the way clearing houses operate, prompting questions over regulatory plans to use more of these platforms to make markets safer.
http://jlne.ws/uX73IV

Congress passes payroll tax cut, extends jobless benefits, amid House Republicans retreat 
The Republic
The collapse of U.S. futures brokerage MF Global has brought to light inconsistencies in the way clearing houses operate, prompting questions over regulatory plans to use more of these platforms to make markets safer.
http://jlne.ws/vow1Ve

Consumers’ Mood Brightens as 2011 Ends 
WSJ.com
Consumers ended a tumultuous — and often glum — year on a sunnier note. In December, the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index climbed to 69.9, compared with 64.1 in November. December’s reading was the fourth consecutive monthly rise. That isn’t as high as the January reading, but well above August’s low of 55.7.
http://jlne.ws/rE3ssE