Wall Street Week Ahead: Time For Some More Stimulus?

Ben Bernanke (lower-right), Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on February 10, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Things are shaping up for another hot summer on Wall Street, and there is a long, long way to go yet. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will be back on Capitol Hill on Thursday to testify before  a congressional committee about the state of the U.S. economy. He’s not going to get an easy ride.

The blue-chip Dow average of stocks is now negative for the year. Employment appears to be slowing to a snail’s pace and Europe remains mired in crisis.“This puts the Fed firmly in play and they will likely feel compelled to respond,” said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at RBC Capital Markets in New York, after data on Friday showed U.S. job growth in May was the weakest in a year.

“The missing ingredient preventing the Fed from action had been the equity market, but now we are seeing it softening,” he said. “Equities are falling and that was the last hurdle for Fed policy action because all the other criteria have been met.” ... Continue to read.

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• Is QE3 Just Around the Corner? (wallstreetpit.com)