Washington: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday offered a gloomy view of the economy's prospects, but provided few concrete clues on whether the US central bank was moving closer to a fresh round of monetary stimulus.
Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee the economic recovery was being held back by anxiety over Europe's debt crisis and the path of US fiscal policy, and he expressed unease over a stagnant jobs market.
The Fed chairman told lawmakers the central bank was considering a range of tools it could employ to help the economy but he hewed closely to the message of watchful waiting that the central bank's policy panel delivered in June.
"Reflecting its concerns about the slow pace of progress in reducing unemployment and the downside risks to economic growth, the committee made clear at its June meeting that it is prepared to take further action," Bernanke said in his testimony on the Fed's semi-annual monetary policy report....
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07:27 AM, Jul 18, 2012
Ben Bernanke is the Federal Reserve Chairman and is optimistic about future. ... 
