FEDERAL RESERVE

The increase in the debt ceiling is only half of what President Obama was asking for and will therefore create another round of default trauma when the next debt ceiling is reached. I

The tentative deal to avoid a crushing debt default is at best a mild relief for the U.S. economy that nearly stalled in the first half of the year and has yet to show signs of any realistic pickup.

After two weeks of acrimony, Democrats and Republicans, perhaps after having stared into the abyss, returned to the bargaining table Saturday. Still, no one will believe the issue has been resolved until President Barack Obama signs a bill that raises the debt ceiling and cuts the budget deficit.

As unlikely as such a scenario might seem, it has actually happened in the past.

Anemic U.S. growth is not enough to prompt Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to call for a new round of monetary stimulus.

Lawmakers were still unable to reach an agreement on the U.S. debt ceiling on Friday, but there is no arguing that the dollar's safe-haven appeal should remain trumped by the Swiss franc and Japanese yen.

With four days remaining until the United States hits its debt limit, President Barack Obama on Friday told deeply divided Republicans and Democrats to stop bickering and find a way "out of this mess."

U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) rose just 1.3 percent in the second quarter and a scant, revised 0.4 percent in the first quarter -- statistics that reveal a U.S. economy that's not only growing at a very slow rate, it's in danger of falling back into a recession.

Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney has been on a glide path toward the 2012 primary elections, serving up a steady diet of soundbites and campaign material attacking President Barack Obama on jobs and the economy.

If the impasse over the U.S. debt limit isn't broken soon, President Barack Obama will be forced to decide how he will manage the crisis.

It is understandable that foreign investors have been losing confidence with the U.S.?s ability to deal with its debt issue

There was little good news on the debt deal front early Wednesday: Democrats and Republicans are working on separately debt reduction plans, neither of which is likely to pass both chambers. A debt deal at this late stage is looking increasingly less likely.

Assuming President Barack Obama and Congressional Republicans can not resolve the debt deal dispute in eight days, the unfathomable will happen -- a default by the U.S. Government. But that begs the question: what will the U.S. Federal Reserve do, if the U.S. Government defaults?

The debt talks enter a critical stage Tuesday, and there's little time left to waste on rhetoric. The two parties have less than eight days to devise a plan to cut the deficit and raise the debt ceiling. U.S. and global stock and bond markets have remained calm and patient, but that may change soon, if the markets don't see progress in D.C.

President Barack Obama, in an address to the nation Monday night, reiterated the need for a "balanced approach" to deficit reduction -- one that includes both substantial budget cuts and revenue increases, and he warned that if the debt ceiling is not raised, it would trigger a "deep economic crisis."

Another impasse at the U.S. debt ceiling talks caused gold to touch new highs on Monday. Spot gold rose to a record $1,622.49 per ounce, an increase of 1.1 percent, as investors became nervous about the possibility of a U.S. rating downgrade. There are analysts who believe that irrespective of whether there will be a debt deal in the U.S. or not, gold will continue to rise higher, basically because of the residual weakness of the dollar.

Kansas City Federal Reserve President Thomas Hoenig said the Fed should raise interest rates that are near zero to avoid economic imbalances and asset price bubbles.

Not for the first time, asset managers may be playing a high-risk game as they face the threat of a U.S. debt default without concrete contingency plans.

American consumers, faced with grim job prospects and the looming threat of a national debt default, are in no position to support the global economy with a new wave of spending.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, took pains to underscore that not only have the debt deal talks resumed, he says all parties are working toward an agreement. Time certainly is of the essence: the U.S. has less than 10 days to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a default.

Simply, Director George Lucas' tribute to his teen years in the car culture of 1960s Modesto, California is a masterpiece, and is easily worth its DVD price.