-->Another uncertainty besetting the market is the succession at the Fed, Dorsey adds. Whoever follows Maestro Greenspan is certain to be"placed under the microscope," he observes. Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, remains the front-runner, but the White House is known to be casting a wide net, especially for someone with hands-on business experience.

President Bush needn't look far; in fact, the ideal candidate is among his siblings. Neil Bush, it might be recalled, was on the board of Silverado Savings & Loan in the late 'Eighties. That Silverado went bust at a cost of $1 billion to taxpayers should be no impediment. After all, it didn't hurt Mr. G(reenspam cg) that, while he toiled in the private sector, he wrote a letter of recommendation praising one Charles Keating(verantwortlich für die grösste US Sparkassen Pleite). Moreover, Neil recently hooked up with Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky to promote an educational software company in the former Soviet Union, so he has global experience. In all, Neil Bush seems at least as qualified for the Fed as Harriet Miers is for the Supreme Court.