They're not asking for a holiday on interest payments or even an interest-rate reduction like Greece.

WSJ: No Easy Passage for Ireland and Portugal

But even if the latest interest-rate reduction halts the deterioration in the economic outlook, it looks unlikely that it will generate enough momentum to speed the recovery.

ECONOMIST: On the offensive

Following two days of sell-offs in stock markets across the globe--and a week ahead of its Federal Open Market Committee meeting (when the rate cut was expected)-- the Fed slashed short-term interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point, its single most dramatic rate reduction since 1984.

FORBES: Confidence Game

The current interest rate reduction passed with bipartisan support in 2007, but Republicans have pointed out that then-Sen.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

WARSAW Poland's central bank signaled Wednesday that the current round of interest-rate cuts is nearing an end, a disappointment for many in the market who had expected a greater reduction in borrowing costs amid the country's flagging economic growth.

WSJ: Poland Hints at End to Rate Cuts