no wonder there are som many leaks - too many people in the know - absolute joke Why Was Fed Statement Late? 20th Century Technology As any veteran market participant knows, the Federal Open Market Committee meeting outcome is announced only roughly around the scheduled time. Why? Unlike almost all the other stuff that comes out of the governmentâs economic divisions, the Federal Reserve statement is distributed using decidedly 20th century technology. First, it makes its way from the Fed to the Treasury Department press room via fax machine around 2 p.m. Then, a reporter makes copies for the entire roomâon Wednesday that was a heavier than usual five pages multiplied by 80 copies, or 400 pages. And, of course, the copier froze. The reporter had to run to another room and use a Treasury machine, spending precious minutes. Typically, reporters get 10 minutes to read through the statement and write their stories. Because of the copier jam, that was cut to an eight minute countdown. When time is up, one lucky Treasury Department official counts down the last 10 seconds and rings a shipâs bell, and the headlines fly. That was at about 2:23 p.m. â a little later than usual. You see the problem here â fax and copy machines are the weak link. For all the times youâve cursed a reluctant printer, imagine doing that with hot Fed news in hand. âThe mechanics of releasing the statement have been worked out over the years with the collaboration of financial news agencies,â a Fed spokesman said. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/fed-single-handedly-keeps-xerox-and-hp-alive