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Fed's Bernanke to Hold Quarterly Briefings: Consumers Should Tune in, Says Informa Research Services

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^{Published in Science and Technology on Thursday, March 31st 2011 at 7:50 GMT by Market Wire}  

CALABASAS, CA--(Marketwire - March 31, 2011) - Last week, the Federal Reserve announced that it would take another step toward transparency and begin holding quarterly press conferences where Chairman Ben Bernanke would discuss Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) policy decisions. Informa Research Services, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LSE: INF), suggests that consumers pay attention to these discussions to learn more about the economic status and to help make informed financial decisions.

These new press conferences will be broadcasted live online, and will take place after the FOMC announces their quarterly policy moves. Many experts believe this will give Bernanke a platform to respond to the criticism of recent Fed decisions.

These press conferences can also provide an opportunity for consumers to learn more about the current economy, which in turn can help them make more educated decisions. In the past, the Fed's announcements have reflected their thoughts about the current economy and have hinted toward their future decisions. The Fed decides when to adjust the Federal Funds Rate, which directly influences the interest rates associated with [ adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) ], [ credit cards ], and [ home equity lines ]. While [ fixed rate mortgage ] and [ deposit rates ] are not directly linked to the Fed Funds rate, these rates do tend to correlate with the Fed's key interest rate.

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About Informa Research Services, Inc. ([ www.informars.com ])
Since 1983, Informa Research Services, Inc., has provided the financial industry's most extensive array of market research, mystery shop, and decision-support information.