here's steve leaseman with more on ben bernanke. >> reporter: for most of the second half of 2013, fedhairman ben bernanke sang a single tune. don't fear the taper. but it wasn't always well received on wall street. he first warned in may of a possible reduction to the fed's bond-buying program known as quantitative easing or q.e. >> if we see continued improvement and have confidence that that is going to be sustained, then we could in the next few meetings, take a step down in our pace of purchases. >> reporter: the dow industrial average would lose 90 points over the next two days. and 400 points over the next week. in june, bernanke spelled out a schedule for ending q.e. >> we would continue to reduce the pace of purchases in measured steps through the first half of next year, ending purchases around mid year. >> reporter: the dow would shed another 500 points over just two days. but after a weak august jobs report and the government on the sherj of a shutdown, bernanke -- verge of a shutdown, bernanke would reverse course. >> the committee concluded the economic data do not yet pr