Bernanke Testimony to Congress: The World According to the Federal Reserve

The U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testimony to Congress ended ahead of schedule today (Thursday) in the Senate, reiterating the same tame message he communicated to the House yesterday: The Fed thinks the economy will grow modestly. "We don't see at this point that the very severe recession has permanently affected the growth potential of the U.S. economy," Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee in his twice annual economic testimony to Congress. Here's a look at

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Finally, TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP) Will Build the Keystone Oil Pipeline - Sort of

Turns out the Keystone oil pipeline will be built - at least, part of it. TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP), the Calgary-based energy company trying to get the project approved, said yesterday (Monday) it would seek immediate approval to start building the southern half of the pipeline that runs from Oklahoma to Texas. That segment doesn't need a presidential permit because it doesn't cross a U.S. border. TransCanada said the southern portion of the Keystone oil pipeline will allow

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U.S. Housing Market: New Home Sales Decline Has a Silver Lining

Another comforting sign for the U.S. housing market come today (Friday) as new home sales data for January exceeded forecasts, another bullish sign for home improvement-related stocks like The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD). New home sales in January fell 0.9% to a 321,000 annual rate. That pace is down slightly from the 324,000 pace set in December, but sales beat the expected rise of 315,000, according to a poll by Bloomberg News. December sales were previously reported at 307,000 but

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