American consumers will soon be better protected and how much longer will interest rates remain at record lows? Here's the Wednesday Bloomberg After The Bell Report from the New York Stock Exchange.
American Stock Exchange
2375.28 down 8.80
Nasdaq Composite
2981.70 down 8.76
Standard And Poors 500
1408.75 down 4.36
The Federal Reserve wrapped up its two-day meeting without making big news, but saying it will leave interest rates low through at least 2015.
Stocks closed lower, but nothing like we saw Tuesday when markets slumped to a seven-week low.
Meantime, debt collectors may soon have the government breathing down their necks. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to start monitoring day-to-day operations at the nation's big debt collectors starting January 2nd. The agency will also examine whether collectors have “harassed or deceived" consumers.
Environmental groups are trying to get the EPA to force oil and natural gas producers to disclose the chemicals they release during drilling and hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. The Environmental Integrity Project and 16 other groups said the information is necessary to inform local residents about pollutants released into the air, water and land.
