Wall Street Roundup: The Rattner strikes back. A new rater in town.

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Gold: Trading now at $1,347 per ounce, down 0.5% from Thursday. Dow Jones industrial average: Trading now at 11,166.00, down 0.1% from Thursday.

The Bernanke strikes back. After weeks of debate about the quantitative-easing program he initiated, Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke struck back and criticized China’s currency policy.

The Rattner strikes back. Just as he is being sued by the New York state attorney general, newspaperman-turned-financier Steve Rattner, President Obama’s car czar, hit back at the partners who cut him loose at his former firm.

A new rater in town. Meredith Whitney, a bank analyst known for her candid assessments, is setting out to challenge the monopoly of the big credit-rating agencies.

Mortgage seller turns mortgage buyer. The former Deutsche Bank trader who became famous for the T-shirt that read ‘I’m short your house’ is now buying up subprime mortgage securities for his hedge fund.

-- Nathaniel Popper in New York