Bernanke In for Round Two?

The US Senate is expected to hold a final confirming vote on Ben Bernanke’s nomination for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve. A vote on confirmation would likely come shortly after senators vote to clear a procedural roadblock to the nomination.

“We anticipate the confirmation vote tomorrow,” a Democratic aide said. “We think the (confirmation) vote will be tomorrow,” a Republican aide said separately.

Mr Bernanke is widely expected to win confirmation, but only by a relatively narrow margin.

The surprise election last week of a Republican to a Massachusetts US Senate seat long held by Democrats underscored voter anger about the economy’s woes and undercut support for Mr Bernanke, a chief architect of bailouts for Wall Street banks. Read the full article »»»»