Marking the first anniversary of President Barack Obama's controversial stimulus, WSJ's Gerald Seib discusses how the package, along with interest-rate moves and a shoring-up of bank balance sheets has allowed the U.S. to outstrip European economic growth. Seib credits the Fed's fast moves to pump money into the economy and to lower interest rates quickly, as well as the regulator's push to have the banks clean up their balance sheets. And the much maligned stimulus package did add growth last year and will help this year, as the slow-to-spend package is doled out through the remainder of 2010.

Marking the first anniversary of President Obama's controversial stimulus, WSJ's Gerald Seib discusses how the package, along with interest-rate moves and a shoring-up of bank balance sheets has allowed the U.S. to outstrip European economic growth.