# A Change in the Asian Equation
Instead of lowering interest rates, which may have unintended consequences when the Fed is on extended hold, it may make more sense for some economies to tinker with currency exchange rates.

# Low Bond Yields Make Building a Portfolio Harder
At one time, Treasuries and other highly rated bonds were a safe way for older investors to generate income. But today’s low bond yields call for a new strategy.

# Markets Fall as Bank Shares and Home Sales Decline
Banks had the biggest drop in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index amid concern about their ability to increase profits.

# Ahmadinejad Relents on Interest Rate Increase
Iran’s president reversed himself on Wednesday and allowed bank interest rates to rise sharply in an effort to stop a slide that has depressed the currency to a relentless string of record lows.

# Fed to Maintain Rates Near Zero Through Late 2014
The Federal Reserve said it was not likely to raise interest rates until the end of 2014, adding 18 months to the expected duration of its response to the slump.

# Fed Set to Introduce Communications Policies This Week
Communications changes that the Fed plans to introduce this week include sharing officials’ predictions about the level at which they intend to set short-term rates over the next three years.

# A Bank Chief Stays Ahead of Crises
Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the Malaysian central banker, was among the first to raise interest rates after the global financial crisis and is now taking on excessive household borrowing.

# Russia Unexpectedly Reduces Its Main Interest Rate
Russia joins other nations that are easing borrowing costs to manage the fallout from a slowdown in China and Europe’s debt crisis.

# Fed Takes No Action, Citing Signs of Moderate Growth
The Federal Reserve said that it would take no new steps to boost economic growth this year, citing mounting evidence that the American economy is chugging slowly toward good health.

# Text of Statement by Federal Reserve
The full text of the statement released on Tuesday by the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve.

# Fed to Consider Publishing a Forecast on Rates
When the Fed’s policy-making committee convenes on Tuesday, it will consider the idea of publishing a regular forecast of its future decisions on interest rates.

# Bank of England Holds Rate Steady
The decision came after the bank's governor warned of growing risks for Britain's economy from the euro area.

# Most European Leaders Agree to Work on Fiscal Treaty
European Union members that use the euro agreed to sign a treaty that would require stricter financial and fiscal discipline, but two countries with their own currencies, Britain and Hungary, refused.

# Economic Troubles in Europe and U.S. Start to Affect Asia
A rate cut in Australia and lowered growth estimates by the Asian Development Bank highlighted the extent to which the economic woes of Europe and the United States are spilling into Asia.