BEN BERNANKE

After a week of wild gyrations that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average rise or fall 400 points on four consecutive days, there?s word that a major bank in France with a funny-sounding name may be in trouble. Further, if you think a possible problem at France's Societe Generale won?t affect the value of the U.S. stocks you own, think again.

In days past, jawboning from Presidents and central banks was often enough to stem a financial markets selloff. Not anymore.

The Dow registered another volatile day Wednesday, plunging 520 points to 10,720 on chatter of additional banking sector concerns in Europe. Further, until investors can sort out which debt concerns are real, and which are not, look for choppy trading conditions to continue.

The Federal Reserve appears increasingly likely to embark on another round of monetary stimulus if the economy continues to lose momentum.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday took the unprecedented step of promising to keep interest rates near zero for at least two more years and said it would consider further steps to help growth, sparking a rebound in stocks.

So much for the vaunted Federal Reserve consensus.

Goldman Sachs said on Wednesday a third round of quantitative easing from the Federal Reserve is likely after the U.S. Federal Reserve promised to keep rates at extraordinarily low levels for at least two more years.

Wall Street economists see odds of around one-in-three the United States will slip back into recession, heightening expectations the Federal Reserve will launch another round of unconventional credit easing.

U.S. stocks clawed back most of Monday's losses as a U.S. Federal Reserve promise of at least two more years of near-zero interest rates overshadowed its warning about slowing economic growth. The Fed's statement gave markets a glimmer of hope, with stocks' gains accelerating into Tuesday's close.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday took the unprecedented step of promising to keep interest rates near zero for at least two more years and said it would consider further steps to help growth, sparking a rebound in stocks.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday took the unprecedented step of promising to keep interest rates near zero for at least two more years, adding it was considering further action, sparking a rebound in stocks.

Now that Uncle Sam has dug itself into a $14 trillion hole, it?s the American taxpayer who should be warning Ben Bernanke and his government cronies about the irrationalities of their exuberant paper printing.

In response to a slowing economy, the U.S. Federal Reserve, despite some internal dissent, announced Tuesday that it plans to keep monetary policy stimulus in place, noting that it will keep short-term interests rates exceptionally low through at least mid-2013. The Fed will also continue to reinvest bond proceeds maturing in its portfolio.

The U.S. stock market soared ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement after a brutal session on Monday.

The S&P downgrade is already old news for U.S. markets. All eyes are on the Fed, and concerns about slow growth and the real threat of a new recession.

Stock index futures pointed to a gain of about 1 percent at the open on Tuesday in a rebound from the previous session's nosedive, but an upcoming Fed statement could spark a reversal if investors are not convinced it has a plan to combat a market meltdown.

Stock index futures pointed to further steep losses for equities on Tuesday, after the previous session's plunge, as investors worry the world's largest economy could fall back into recession.

The U.S. Federal Reserve will announce its monetary policy Tuesday following an unprecedented downgrade of the U.S.Government's credit rating by Standard & Poor's and the markets will likely look to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to provide appropriate comments on the state of the nation's banking system and its fiscal condition.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, an expert on the Great Depression, once promised that the central bank would never repeat its 1937 mistake of rushing to tighten monetary policy too soon and prolonging an economic slump.

The U.S. stock market was obliterated last week. The S&P 500 Index dropped 92.9 points, or 7.2 percent, which was its worst performance since November 2008.

In a stunning development, Standard & Poor?s Friday downgraded the U.S. Government's credit rating from AAA to AA+, arguing Washington has made inadequate progress cutting the budget deficit. The U.S. Treasury disagrees with S&P?s analysis and conclusion, but interest rates on U.S. home mortgages and car loans are likely to rise.