Bernanke looks past end of QE and sees low rates for a long time

Today's Breakfast with Benjamin: Bernanke sees low rates for a long, long time; holiday retailers on the ropes; SAC Capital jury selection; investigating fishy employment data; coal becomes the next tobacco-style villain

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is reminding the markets that interest rates are likely to hover near zero long after the end of quantitative easing. Slowing the pace of asset purchases without causing a surge in interest rates
The markets today also will be absorbing data on October retail sales, home sales and the minutes from the Fed’s most recent policy meeting. Gauging the health of the world’s largest economy

Retailers are bracing for the new reality of offering shoppers deep discounts. Risking profit-margin declines Here are five retailers with enough cash on hand to weather a weak holiday shopping season. Healthy cash-flow ratios

Jury selection has begun for a SAC Capital hedge fund manager’s criminal trial. Michael Steinberg is the highest-level company employee to face criminal charges

A House panel has opened an investigation into the fishy unemployment data released just prior to last year’s presidential election. Was Jack Welch right all along?

Breaking down the record $13 billion JPMorgan settlement. Following the money in one simple chart

Activist investors are turning the coal industry into the next tobacco-like villain. $8 trillion worth of known coal reserves in the ground Harvard University students jumped on the bandwagon yesterday by protesting a Bank of America recruiting event. Buying into the anti-coal campaign