Mind Over Market

San Francisco Fed President John Williams told CNBC the timing of the taper must depend on the economic data. He added that tapering should begin later this year, if the economy progresses. He refused to say when, but added: "Any tapering ... we do would be in gradual steps over time ... assuming our forecast comes true." Read more here .

Part One: Part Two: CNBC Squawk Box hosts Joe Kernen, Becky Quick and Carl Quintanilla interviewed Alan Greenspan June 3 from the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., where they had traveled to broadcast the show remotely. In his comments, Greenspan says that one of the missing parts of the economic recovery is the construction sector, missing partly because of the weak housing sector. According to research by his firm, Greenspan said, If the production of longer-lived assets had recovered as it has in the past, unemployment would be at 6 percent. Greenspan also supports raising income tax rates to the Clinton era levels, if necessary, for a budget agreement that reduces the deficit and debt outlook. Greenspan also does not believe that there will be a crisis after August 2, as Secretary Timothy Geithner has suggested, if the debt ceiling is not raised. Treasury is high likely to continue paying interest on the nation's debt service. The problem is that ...

This ascerbic and hilarious cartoon by Malekenoms is done in a question and answer format between two bears who speak with computer-generated voices and broken English. The first bear starts off the process by asking the second bear, "Did you hear about the Fed?" and then proceeds to explain to the second bear why the Fed is engaging in quantitative easing. The policy name "quantitative easing" is described as a euphemism for printing "a ton of money." When the second bear asks the first bear, why not just calling it "the printing money," the first bear responds that the Fed calls in quantitative easing because printing money is seen as "the last refuge of a failed economic empire and banana republics, and the Fed doesn't want to admit this is their only idea." The bears then belittle the notion that there is deflation when prices are rising everywhere. The the first bear also lampoons the Fed's credibility and claims it has bee...