The Federal Open Market Committee, which sets Federal Reserve policy, meets for the first time under the leadership of Chairwoman Janet Yellen, on March 18 and 19. Ms. Yellen, who took the post in February, has pledged to follow the policies of former chairman Ben Bernanke. Still, the meeting and Ms. Yellen's first press conference afterward will be closely watched around the world for signals of where she plans to lead the central bank. This briefing, with a foreword by the Wall Street Journal's Chief Economics Correspondent Jon Hilsenrath, excerpts the Journal's coverage of Ms. Yellen and the Federal Reserve, providing context and background for the committee's meeting in March and beyond.
