The Analyst

The White House has defended the independence of Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve's chairman, after the US presidental candidate Rick Perry declared that "printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treacherous, or treasonous". The Texas Governor said: "If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I dunno what y'all would do to him Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas."

Forty years since President Nixon dumped the gold standard system, Stephen Foley considers the calls for its return

The Bank of England today gave a clear signal that the UK will mirror the United States in keeping interest rates at record lows until 2013.

The oil price followed stock markets down and then up yesterday but is now $20 down on its peak during 2011

Hopes of a fresh round of fiscal stimulus measures today helped London's battered shares index dodge its longest losing streak for eight years.

US Outlook: The seven men and three women who sit down in Washington on Tuesday to debate US interest rate policy will almost certainly decide to do nothing. They may well say something, but action – desperately needed action – seems unlikely for the time being.

Economic Life: The US can 'grow' out of its indebtedness: Debt is being accrued there by 300 million people, but in another 40 years there will be 450 million to pay it off

Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, helped the US stock market break a three day sell-off yesterday by raising the possibility of a further round of quantitative easing to support the economy.

The IEA's move to rein in oil prices added to the anxieties of stock market investors around the world yesterday, prompting a rollercoaster ride on leading exchanges as the contagion spread.

The Federal Reserve blamed temporary factors for the current soft patch in the US economy, closing down for now any suggestion it could consider a third programme of quantitative easing.

Investors withdrew from the banks last night, as analysts warned that the market was not taking into account the damage that could be caused by plans to force the sector to ring-fence its high street operations.

US Outlook: When Ben Bernanke took over as chairman of the Federal Reserve in 2007, it looked like one of his early moves might be to introduce an explicit inflation target for the central bank's interest rate-setting committee.