Safe Haven | The Financial Commentator on the Economy

By John Mauldin

Debt levels are high, and any increase in interest rates will impose a bigger burden on the economy and quickly stunt growth. Consumer debt is already so high and interest rates are so low that ... ... Spending on small business credit cards increased from $70.4 billion in 2000, to $296.3 billion, according to the Nilson Report. Over the last 15 months, business bankruptcy filings have risen faster than consumer bankruptcies, with the average charge-off rising to $11000 ...

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Bernanke: Economy should grow again later in 2009

By The Huffington Post News Editors

As Bernanke has said in the past, the Fed's forecast for a recovery hinges on the government's ability to gradually repair the financial system. "A relapse ... would be a significant drag on economic activity and could cause the incipient recovery to stall," he warned. On the financial front, ... This is the equivalent of a teacher giving a student a look at his grades and allowing the student to try to cut a better deal before report cards are sent home to mom and dad. ...

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Long Island Business News » Bernanke: Economy should grow again ...

By The Associated Press

That means businesses will stay cautious about hiring, driving up the nation's unemployment rate and causing "further sizable job losses" in the coming months, he told the Joint Economic Committee. The recession, which started in December 2007, ... Bernanke took some heat for the Fed's decision not to hasten the implementation of new rules to protect Americans from abusive credit card practices, as some lawmakers had requested. The Fed's rules take effect in July 2010. ...

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