Its just the beginning, Ben. But you already knew that:
A weakening housing market, a strained banking system, and rising oil prices threaten the U.S. economy, and restoring financial market stability is a top priority, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday.
It was a gloomier assessment than the central bank’s policy-setting panel gave in late June, when it said risks to economic growth had diminished somewhat.
Bernanke, in his semi-annual testimony on economic conditions to lawmakers Tuesday, acknowledged that financial markets had grown increasingly anxious in recent weeks, particularly over the financial condition of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
He stressed that the outlook for economic growth and inflation was unusually uncertain.