The Fed appears to have indicated it will pause in reducing rates,'' said John Carey, a Boston-based portfolio manger at Pioneer Investment Management, which manages about $300 billion. ``There may be an expectation commodity prices will come down as the dollar goes up. That's the knee-jerk reaction.''

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, speaking yesterday in Boston, said policy makers must pay ``close attention'' to make sure a surge in commodity costs doesn't pass through to broader consumer prices. The risk of a ``substantial downturn'' in U.S. economic growth has diminished, Bernanke added.

This in my opinion is nothing more than smoke and mirrors the fundamentals of why commoditiy prices have been driven up have not changed. All I see is the US trying to shore up confidence in there economy.

Don't be fooled by the day to day fluctuations in our sp or the prices of commodities pay closer attention to futures pricing. Many peiople get scared off there shares when they don't look to the futures trading and pricing.