. >> frederic douglas said it's easier to build strong children than repair broken men. captioning sponsored by cbs >> pelley: good evening. it doesn't happen very often but it happened today-- the stock market plunged in reaction to good news. the news from the head of the federal reserve was that the economy is doing better. here's the part wall street did not like. ben bernanke said the economy is doing well enough that the fed is likely to ease back on one of its stimulus programs, a bond buying program that has helped keep interest rates at record lows. the prospect of higher rates sent the dow down more than 200 points to close at 15,112. reason enough to call in our senior business correspondent anthony mason. anthony. >> reporter: scott, the downside risks have diminished since the fall, bernanke said today, in an assessment of the economy that has turned noticeably more upbeat. >> generally speaking, financial conditions are improving. >> reporter: the fed lowered its forecast for the unemployment rate across the board by about a quarter of a point to about 7.25

. >> frederic douglas said it's easier to build strong children