Estou aqui Martinho, sou eu: o capitalismo. E nunca te deixarei ficar mal.

Hoje Ben Bernake, presidente da FED e um dos 5 homens mais importantes na Economia Mundial, o qual não pode proferir uma palavra sem a máxima certeza, disse a todos os Americanos e ao Mundo que já tínhamos batido no fundo, a partir de agora só para cima.

Salvaguardemos apenas que o S&P 500, mais importante índice do Mundo já subiu em dois meses 27.59% e já se encontra positivo em 2009.

O Dow Jones 100 (Índice Industrial Americano) regista uma subida de 8% em duas semanas.

A verdade é que o capitalismo é uma verdade Universal (mesmo com alguma intervenção, que teve o seu papel fundamental) o mercado regenera-se sozinho e já vemos a máquina americana e o monstro chinês a levantarem a cabeça (note-se que ontem foi divulgado que a procura de aço industrial chinês aumentou para máximos de 9 meses).

Peço desculpa rouges, mas se calhar nunca vão ver o vosso desejo cumprido.

THE FED

Fed chief Bernanke sees economic rebound on tap

Jobless rate won't hit the 10% mark, he tells congressional panel

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Signs of life from the battered consumer and housing sectors raise hope that the severe recession may be bottoming out and that growth could turn positive later this year, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday.

Businesses will likely need to restock shelves after letting their inventories fall sharply, Bernanke said in testimony on Capitol Hill.

For their part, consumers appear to have adjusted to the downturn and have begun shopping again, and the spring selling season for homes seems to be attracting buyers for the first time in three years, he said.

"We are hopeful that the very sharp decline we saw beginning last fall through early this year will moderate considerably in the near term and we will see positive growth by the end of the year," Bernanke told the Joint Economic Committee.

"The recent data ... suggest that the pace of contraction may be slowing, and they include some tentative signs that final demand, especially demand by households, may be stabilizing," he said. Read Bernanke's prepared remarks.

While stopping well-short of giving high fives to the members of Congress, Bernanke was more optimistic than he has been in some time. His remarks add to the sense that officials at the U.S. central bank now believe the Fed's unprecedented actions over the past year are sufficient to generate a recovery.

The Fed has slashed its interest-rate target effectively to zero and has taken over the job of pumping credit into the economy from the crippled banking and securitization markets. The Fed is also buying Treasury securities and mortgage debt.

'The recent data ... suggest that the pace of contraction may be slowing, and they include some tentative signs that final demand, especially demand by households, may be stabilizing.'

— Ben Bernanke

Many economists believe the Fed's policies may ultimately be inflationary, but Bernanke betrayed no hint of fear about rising prices, saying: "In this environment, we can anticipate that inflation will remain low."

One reason prices won't spike is that the prospective recovery is likely to be subpar and only gradually gain momentum, Bernanke said.

In addition, the nation's labor market will continue to be weak "in coming months," he said.

Another reason is that consumer expectations about prices have remained stable.

Economists believe the Fed will be slow to remove support for the economy. Interest rates are expected to stay in the range slightly above zero through the end of the year.

What could upset the apple cart

Bernanke's optimism came with important caveats, however.

While conditions in financial markets have improved and a gradual repair of the banking system is underway, any reversals on these two fronts would darken the economic outlook, he said.

"A relapse in financial conditions would be a significant drag on economic activity and could cause the incipient recovery to stall," he said.

The results of the government's "stress tests" for 19 major banks and financial institutions are expected to be released later this week.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday that the Obama administration believes it won't have to ask Congress for more money for banks. Bernanke said he supported this conclusion.

Banks that can't tap private markets can convert some of the government's preferred shares into common equity, he said.