NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: The annual Christmas tree stands outside of the New York Stock Exchange, where the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by one-quarter of a percentage point December 11, 2007 in New York City. The Federal Reserve reduced the federal funds rate to 4.25 percent, the third time the rate has been cut in three months. Getty Images logo Getty Images 26 months ago

NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: The annual Christmas tree stands outside of the New York Stock Exchange, where the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by one-quarter of a percentage point December 11, 2007 in New York City. The Federal Reserve reduced the federal funds rate to 4.25 percent, the third time the rate has been cut in three months.

More Photos of

Explore Photos of Related Topics

  1. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke awaits the beginning of testimony at his Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on his nomination to continue as Chairman of the Board of Governors, on Capitol Hill in Washington, in this December 3, 2009 file photo. The combination of the financial nervous breakdown and the uneven economic recovery has turned central bankers into the equivalent of military generals waging a war. The question is whether, in the face of political opposition, they will deploy the weapons at their disposal. December 3, 2009. To match Special Report DAVOS/ECONOMY.
  2. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks at the December luncheon meeting of the Economic Club of Washington, in this December 7, 2009 file photo. The combination of the financial nervous breakdown and the uneven economic recovery has turned central bankers into the equivalent of military generals waging a war. The question is whether, in the face of political opposition, they will deploy the weapons at their disposal. Picture taken December 7, 2009. To match Special Report DAVOS/ECONOMY.
  3. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke looks up during his meeting with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to discuss Federal Reserve policy and Bernanke's upcoming confirmation vote at Capitol Hill in Washington January 25, 2010. The combination of the financial nervous breakdown and the uneven economic recovery has turned central bankers into the equivalent of military generals waging a war. The question is whether, in the face of political opposition, they will deploy the weapons at their disposal. Picture taken January 25, 2010. To match Special Report DAVOS/ECONOMY.
  4. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke prepares to speak at the December luncheon meeting of the Economic Club of Washington, in this December 7, 2009 file photo. The U.S. Senate on January 28, 2010 approved Bernanke's nomination to a second four-year term running the Federal Reserve, the world's most powerful central bank, despite deep misgivings over his perceived policy missteps.
  5. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke looks up during his meeting with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to discuss Federal Reserve policy and Bernanke's upcoming confirmation vote Capitol Hill in Washington, in this January 25, 2010 file photo. The U.S. Senate Thursday looked poised to narrowly approve Ben Bernanke's nomination to a second term running the world's most powerful central bank, despite misgivings over perceived policy missteps. Bernanke's nomination cleared a procedural roadblock with a 77-23 vote on January 28. 2010, and the Senate moved directly to a vote on final confirmation, where only a simple majority of 51 votes in the 100-person chamber is needed for approval.
  6. The interest rate decision of the Federal Reserve appears on a television screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010. The Federal Reserve has decided to hold interest rates at a record low and pledged to keep them there for an "extended period" to nurture the economic recovery and lower unemployment.
  7. U.S. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke speaks about a year of economic turmoil at the Brookings Institution in Washington in this September 15, 2009 file photo. The Bank of England estimates governments the world over have spent or committed a staggering $14 trillion to prop up the financial system following the fall of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. Despite the protestations by politicians that such a large-scale rescue should never be allowed to happen again, their actions over the past two years suggest the opposite. Picture taken September 15, 2009. To match special report DAVOS/FINANCE.
  8. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (C) poses with British Central Bank Governor Mervyn King (L) and European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet for a photo during the G7 meeting in Tokyo in this February 9, 2008 file photo. The Bank of England estimates governments the world over have spent or committed a staggering $14 trillion to prop up the financial system following the fall of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. Despite the protestations by politicians that such a large-scale rescue should never be allowed to happen again, their actions over the past two years suggest the opposite. Picture taken February 9, 2008. To match special report DAVOS/FINANCE.
  9. WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke attends a meeting with Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) at the US Capitol on January 25, 2010 in Washington DC. President Obama nominated Mr. Bernanke to a second term and he will need at least 60 votes to win confirmation.
  10. WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (L) meets with Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) at the US Capitol on January 25, 2010 in Washington DC. President Obama nominated Mr. Bernanke to a second term and he will need at least 60 votes to win confirmation.
  11. WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (L) is greeted by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) before a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on January 25, 2010 in Washington DC. President Obama nominated Mr. Bernanke to a second term and he will need at least 60 votes to win confirmation.
  12. Senator Dick Durbin, R, (D-IL) meets with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to discuss the Federal Reserve policy and Bernanke's upcoming confirmation vote on Capitol Hill in Washington January 25, 2010. U.S. lawmakers looked likely to grudgingly approve Bernanke to a second term as Federal Reserve chairman this week after the White House stepped in to defend his crisis-fighting record and rally votes.
  13. WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (L) is greeted by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) before a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on January 25, 2010 in Washington DC. President Obama nominated Mr. Bernanke to a second term and he will need at least 60 votes to win confirmation.
  14. WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (L) meets with Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) at the U.S. Capitol on January 25, 2010 in Washington DC. President Obama nominated Mr. Bernanke to a second term and he will need at least 60 votes to win confirmation.
  15. WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (L) is greeted by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) before a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on January 25, 2010 in Washington DC. President Obama nominated Mr. Bernanke to a second term and he will need at least 60 votes to win confirmation.
  16. WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke meets with Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) at the U.S. Capitol on January 25, 2010 in Washington DC. President Obama nominated Mr. Bernanke to a second term and he will need at least 60 votes to win confirmation.

Recent Photos From The Wire

  1. Hindu devotees offer prayers after they take a ritual dip in River Ganges during the months-long Hindu festival Kumbh Mela, in Haridwar, India, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010. The festival, which is celebrated every three years, and rotates among four Indian holy cities is expected to attract more than 10 million people.
  2. A woman walks past the gate of Myanmar's notorious Insein Prison, on the outskirts of Yangon Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010, in Myanmar. A Myanmar court ordered a U.S. citizen Wednesday to serve three years of hard labor at the prison for entering the military-ruled country with forged documents and undeclared foreign currency.
  3. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10: Designer Kirrily Johnston (L) attends the morning tea reception ahead of the David Jones Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Launch at the Hordern Pavilion on February 10, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
  4. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10: Choreographer Adam Williams attends the morning tea reception ahead of the David Jones Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Launch at the Hordern Pavilion on February 10, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
  5. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10: TV Personalities Jaynie Seal and Ed Phillips attend the morning tea reception ahead of the David Jones Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Launch at the Hordern Pavilion on February 10, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
  6. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10: Designer Kirrily Johnston (L) attends the morning tea reception ahead of the David Jones Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Launch at the Hordern Pavilion on February 10, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
  7. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10: TV Personalities Jaynie Seal and Ed Phillips attend the morning tea reception ahead of the David Jones Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Launch at the Hordern Pavilion on February 10, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
  8. A migrant worker smiles after getting his delayed wage back in Zhengzhou, Henan province, February 10, 2010. Some 500 migrant workers, who worked in Heli Construction Co. Ltd, got back their delayed wages under the supervision of the local ministry of labour, local media reported.
  9. An Afghan soldier, part of the Afghan National Army, stands near a vehicle carrying fellow soldiers, west of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010.
  10. An Afghan soldier, part of the Afghan National Army, stands on a vehicle west of Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010.
  11. A Thai scuba diver dressed in a Chinese costume holds a Chinese banner reading "Happy New Year" at Siam Ocean World in Bangkok February 10, 2010. The Lunar New Year falls on February 14 this year.
  12. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10: Choreographer Adam Williams attends the morning tea reception ahead of the David Jones Autumn/Winter 2010 Fashion Launch at the Hordern Pavilion on February 10, 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
  13. A Thai scuba diver dressed in a Chinese costume holds a Chinese banner reading "Happy New Year" at Siam Ocean World in Bangkok February 10, 2010. The Lunar New Year falls on February 14 this year.
  14. A view shows a partially demolished "nail house", the last house in the area, at a construction site in Hefei, Anhui province, in this February 2, 2010 file photo. The owner of the house attempted to seek more compensation before agreeing to the demolition of their house, local media reported. Picture taken February 2, 2010.
  15. USA short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno practices for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010.
  16. Members of the USA short track speed skating team practice for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010.