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Fed Chief Bernanke Sees Signs of U.S. Economic Recovery

WASHINGTON — Ben S. Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, said on Tuesday that the economic free fall of the last nine months was nearing an end and that the United States should begin a fragile recovery by the end of this year.

In his most upbeat assessment in a long time, Mr. Bernanke said a wide array of indicators, from consumer spending and home sales to a revival in the credit markets, now suggested that the economy was stabilizing.