Quantitative Easing: The Real Reason the Fed May Go For QE3

Ben Bernanke has a secret. And it's a secret that very likely terrifies him and his policymaking brethren at the U.S. Federal Reserve. That secret has to do with his latest round of "quantitative easing," a liquidity-push known as "QE2." What Bernanke & Co. don't want Americans to know is that painfully slow growth - or even a double-dip recession - isn't their greatest fear. Bernanke's greatest fear is that without this liquidity, one or more of the massive, already-bailed-out U.S. banks could stumble and once again undermine the global financial system. And this time around, the outcome would be much, much uglier.