"The company has been trying to correct the sins of the past five to ten years, but it's extremely difficult to do that in a couple of quarters, " said Sean Egan, managing director of Egan, Jones Ratings in Haverford, Pa.

FORBES: GM's Bumpy Ride

They wanted the U.S. to do more than it was doing to correct its external imbalance and they showed an interest in actually cashing in their excess dollar reserves for gold.

FORBES: Currency Manipulation

"I wouldn't say it's a free licence to do whatever we like, " he is quick to correct.

BBC: There's a Will for England's new breed