Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke may step down

WASHINGTON: Federal Reserve chairman Ben S Bernanke said he's "spoken to the president a bit" about his future and that he feels no personal responsibility to stay at the helm until the Fed winds down its unprecedented policies to stimulate the economy. I don't think that I'm the only person in the world who can manage the exit," Bernanke said when asked at a news conference in Washington if he's discussed his plans with President Barack Obama.

His term expires at the end of January. Bernanke's comments on Wednesday meshed with the views of some of Obama's economic and political advisers, who said Bernanke, 59, is exhausted and wants to return to private life.