By unanimous vote, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York was selected to execute transactions for the System Open Market Account (SOMA). By unanimous vote, the Committee selected Simon Potter and Lorie K. Logan to serve at the pleasure of the Committee as manager and deputy manager of the SOMA, respectively, on the understanding that these selections were subject to their being satisfactory to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Secretary's note: Advice subsequently was received that the manager and deputy manager selections indicated above were satisfactory to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. By unanimous ... (full story)

Federal Reserve officials judged that a "patient" approach to interest rate hikes would be prudent as they continued weigh various headwinds to growth, according to meeting minutes released Wednesday. The central just released the summary of its policy meeting Jan. 29-30, with the market watching closely for clues about the central bank's views on a variety of matters. "Participants pointed to a variety of considerations that supported a patient approach to monetary policy at this juncture as an appropriate step in managing various risks and uncertainties in the outlook," the meeting said. Among the considerations ... (full story)