VELSHI: Twenty-four minutes after the hour. Watching your money this morning. Today is the big day. Federal Reserve chief, Ben Bernanke, will speak in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. Wall Street has been waiting all week for this hoping the fed chief might drop some hints about new measures to help out the struggling economy and maybe even hinted another round of fed stimulus. Right now, U.S. stock futures on the Dow, NASDAQ and S&P; 500 all trading lower ahead of the opening bell. Investors waiting for a new report out in just a few minutes on the growth of the economy in the second quarter. Economists are forecasting the GDP in the second quarter was weaker than first thought. The economy may have only grown at a rate of one percent during that April to June period. Investors are rushing back to gold after rumors started swirling that Germany's credit rating maybe be downgraded. The ratings agencies reaffirmed the AAA rating for Europe's largest economy, and that didn't stop people from investing in gold for security. Right now, it's up to $1,790 an ounce in electronic trading. Stocks to watch today, State Farm, Nationwide and Allstate, and Travelers, those are some of the most exposed insurers with Hurricane Irene fast approaching the east coast. Shares in Allstate and Travelers dropped three percent % yesterday. Many of the country's largest insurance companies have already sustained serious losses this year because of damaging weather in the spring. Up next, flights canceled, train service shut down, evacuations already underway. We'll break down brand new state-by-state developments related to Hurricane Irene. AMERICAN MORNING back after this break.
Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke Speech