Geithner warns against pulling stimulus too soon

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said the economy is in the midst of a recovery that could be imperiled if the government's support systems are removed too soon.

A classic pattern in past financial crises is governments tend to put on the brakes too soon, withdraw support too early and that's been a very costly mistake and we're going to be very careful to avoid that mistake,'' Geithner said at a conference sponsored by The Economist magazine in New York yesterday.

Geithner stressed that a robust recovery depends on private businesses investing more in the economy and that it's the government's responsibility to give them the tools to do that.