Slowdown reflects impact of Federal Reserve's aggressive drive to tame inflation
Plunging energy prices pulled the producer price index down 0.5%
Help clients ride out the storm with well-structured portfolios
Potential changes include greater capital requirements and more aggressive regulatory supervision
Barr anticipates higher capital, liquidity standards needed for American banks with more than $100B
Official nonetheless pledged that the Federal Reserve and other agencies would take whatever steps deemed necessary to protect the banking system
Most economists think the Fed will raise rates by a quarter-point on Wednesday
Strategists take a defensive portfolio stance
In a speech, the Bank of Canada's senior deputy governor touted the advantage of independent monetary policy
A run of strong U.S. economic data could lead to greater-than-forecasted hikes