But with a French twist on the Mitt Romney tax rate flap, it turns out the French capital gain rate is perceived as a bigger problem than the 75% rate on earnings.
The Chairman of the Federal Reserve defended his decision to embark in an open-ended, third round of quantitative easing (QE3), extend Operation Twist, and extend their forward-rate guidance to 2015.
Bernanke also said Operation Twist equates a 50 basis point cut in the Fed funds rate, adding he expected an additional 20 basis point fall in lending costs.
While Operation Twist had been sterilized, which means the Fed sold assets at the same rate as it was gobbling them up, the new program will consist purely of Treasury purchases.