The number of regional Federal Reserve banks pushing for a hike in what commercial banks are charged for emergency loans rose to nine in October, a sign the U.S. central bank may be close to tightening monetary policy, minutes from its discount rate meeting showed on Tuesday. Eight Fed banks had voted to raise the discount rate at the prior meeting in September, a jump from five in July and August. Ahead of the central bank's Oct. 27-28 policy meeting, directors of the Boston Fed joined their counterparts in St. Louis, Atlanta, San Francisco, Cleveland, Dallas, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Richmond in asking the ... (full story)