benchmark interest rate

Here is a recap of the top news items from this week on Wall Street: 1. The ECB cut its benchmark interest rate from 1.25 percent to 1.00 percent on Thursday, furthering a number of actions which are apparently impacting markets less than regulators first expected.

The action came just ahead of an EU Summit which spanned Thursday and Friday. Traders waking up Friday morning were pleasantly surprised to find EU officials hammered out a deal for an added €200 billion to its bailout fund earlier than expected.

The Summit also effectively tightened anti-deficit rules.

Investors hoped for a clear indication from the Federal Reserve on when it expects to begin raising its benchmark interest rate.

The central bank left its benchmark interest rate at a record low of 0.5 percent amid signs that the country’s economy is recovering only slowly.

The bank kept its benchmark interest rate at 0.5 percent and stuck to its plan of buying bonds with newly printed money after recent data quashed earlier hopes of a recovery.

Japan's central bank has kept its benchmark interest rate steady amid signs that the country's economic picture may be brightening.