Bangkok--8 Aug--Standard & Poor's, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke managed to keep the revolt of dissenters at bay this week, said Standard & Poor's Senior Economist Beth Ann Bovino in a Web cast made available today. With a statement slightly more hawkish than in June, only one member dissented. In other news, more jobs were lost in July, while wages showed no sign of significant acceleration, helping keep a Fed rate hike unlikely near term. The wage data remained stable and moderate, showing no sign--at least yet--of the wage-price spiral that is the Fed's real nightmare. The next move will probably be upward, but not until next year. Overall, the report was slightly better than expected, given that the rise in the unemployment rate was so concentrated in teenagers and thus probably very temporary. To view this Web cast, type this URL into your browser: http://event.standardandpoors.com/?elqPURLPage=140. Standard & Poor's Web casts look at the latest macroeconomic news and provide our opinion on today's volatile markets. These Web casts combine both video and charts so viewers can easily follow along with the speaker. For more information, visit www.standardandpoors.com. Media Contact: Mimi Barker, New York (1) 212-438-5054, [email protected] Analyst Contact: Beth Ann Bovino, New York (1) 212-438-1652 Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of financial market intelligence, including independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 8,500 employees, including wholly owned affiliates, located in 23 countries and markets, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com. Key Contacts: Americas Media Relations: (1) 212-438-6667 media_ [email protected] Americas Customer Service: (1) 212-438-7280 [email protected]