The Fed Chairman would be very happy if the bond market did some of the tightening for him,

The Fed Chairman would be very happy if the bond market did some of the tightening for him. And I think if we saw the long bond yield back above, say, 6.75 percent, edging towards 7 percent, that would limit some of the restraint the Fed would have to impose on the economy.

Once again soft data appears to be generating more reaction in the bond market than strong data -- consistent with the bullish undertone,

Once again soft data appears to be generating more reaction in the bond market than strong data -- consistent with the bullish undertone.

If the Fed is not going to do the heavy lifting, the bond market is going to do it for them.

[Economist Alan Ruskin of I.D.E.A. was one of several Greenspan watchers who said the Fed chairman's remarks were warranted.] (His words) are extremely cautionary, ... They are quite clearly roiling the financial markets. I'm increasingly amused at the tenor of these remarks -- how clear-cut they are.