Ben S. Bernanke

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Annual percentage rates on new credit card offers fell sharply this week, according to the CreditCards.com Weekly Credit Card Rate Report, but don't expect your APR to also drop. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090210/CCLOGO) The national average credit card APR is comprised of about 95 of the most popular credit cards in the country, including cards from dozens of leading U.S. issuers and representing every card category listed below. This week, it fell to 12.68 percent due to reconfiguration of card offers in the database rather than any major moves by issuers. Introductory (teaser) rates are not included in the calculation. Among the average APRs in nine card categories, three declined and six were unchanged. Rates for card categories tracked by CreditCards.com are listed below: Credit Card Rate Averages ------------------------- ...

WASHINGTON, DC -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 11/18/09 -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed two separate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve respectively in its continuing efforts to bring transparency to the federal government's massive taxpayer bailouts. Judicial Watch's request filed with the Treasury Department on June 19, 2009, relates to a congressional briefing on the financial crisis held by former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke on September 18, 2008, as ...

HIGHER;PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish (NYSE: UUP) up 0.86% to $22.41. The dollar stays strong as Finance Chief Bernanke made positive comments about the U.S. economy yesterday, which were reinforced by European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet.

Once again, it was a falling U.S. dollar that helped the stock market advance smartly yesterday. However this time around, the market had some help as traders found a handful of reasons to push the major indices up through important resistance areas and on to new cycle highs.

To be sure, it was the dollar that was the focal point at the outset of trading. With the greenback falling to its lowest level since August 2008, the carry trade took on new life as the appetite for “risk assets,” particularly in the area of commodity stocks, appeared to surge.

And once again, it was what wasn’t said that helped push the dollar to its second lowest level ever. As was the case with the G20 meeting, officials at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting did pledge support for stimulus measures and did NOT utter a single word about the dollar’s ...

Following the reaffirmation that the interest rates would stay low to spur grow by Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke, the stock market rallied to 13-month highs. A rise in retail sales in October of 1.4 percent also helped to fuel the rally.

Bernanke iterated that the recovery would not be as robust as hoped, as the high unemployment rate and tight banking lending will continue to be obstacles on the road to turnaround.

"My own view is that the recent pickup reflects ...