|
(Continued from page 31)
pharmacy or manufacture in Massachusetts again," Patrick said.
• ___
Federal Reserve officials meeting amid low expectations for any major moves to help economy
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Six weeks after rolling out a bold plan to boost the U.S. economy, the central bank is meeting again amid low expectations for further help.
• Private economists believe the Fed will send a simple message after its two-day meeting that it wants to give its previous actions time to work before doing more.
• "They have done enough right now. There is no reason to do any more at the moment," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial. She said she expects the Fed to deliver further help to the economy but not until the last meeting of the year on Dec. 11-12.
• The Fed's meeting will conclude with a brief announcement at mid-afternoon Wednesday. But there will be no news conference by Federal Chairman Ben Bernanke.
• The Fed announcement is expected to affirm officials' plan to keep buying $40 billion per month in mortgage bonds as long as necessary to make home buying more affordable. The Fed is also expected to reaffirm its intention to keep short-term interest rates at record lows through mid-2015 and hold out the prospect of further action if hiring doesn't pick up.
• ___
College tuition costs up again this fall but signs unsustainable trends may be slowing
• The sticker price of in-state tuition at four-year public universities climbed about $400 this fall, an increase of nearly 5 percent that brought the average to $8,655. That's a modest increase compared to recent years but still painful for families with stagnant incomes after a prolonged economic slump.
• Room-and-board charges grew by a comparable amount, raising the full cost for students living on campus to $17,860.
• The latest annual figures from the College Board, out Wednesday, show only about one-third of full-time students pay that published price. The estimated net price -- what students pay on average after accounting for grants and tax credits -- remains considerably lower than the list price: about $2,910 for tuition at public four-year universities, and $12,110 including room and board.
(Continued on page 33)
|
|
