Dallas Morning News (03/17/08)
In an effort to boost market liquidity, the Federal Reserve lowered the discount rate to 3.25 percent from 3.5 percent and launched a new lending program through which money will be moved from securities dealers to the securitization markets. The effort—the latest attempt to stabilize prices of bonds backed by residential loans as delinquencies continue to escalate and home prices tumble—will provide financing for JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s acquisition of Bear Stearns Cos. for approximately $270 million, or about $2 per share. Meanwhile, the central bank could reduce the interest rate affecting consumers and businesses to 2 percent at its March 18 meeting, marking a decline of a full percentage point.
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