Bernanke delivers bleak assessment of US economy
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered a bleak assessment of the US economy to lawmakers on Tuesday, citing a slowdown in economic activity this year and a stubbornly high rate of unemployment.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says the US economy is suffering through a ``severe contraction'' and pledged to use all available tools to lift the country out of the recession that already has cost millions of Americans their jobs.