As markets grapple with the impact of the Japanese quake and tsunami, the unrest in the Middle East, the euro debt crisis and worries about the strength of the US recovery, a bonus may be about to be delivered by the US Federal Reserve.

Some time in the next few days, possibly within the next 24 hours, America's 19 biggest banks will learn the results of the latest stress tests conducted by regulators.

The Fed's Open Markets Committee meets tonight, our time for its latest monetary policy move.

Although this committee won't be making the decision, it will have input.

By next Monday the Fed will have to have told those banks and other financial groups that got help in 2007 from the so-called Tarp fund, if they can increase dividends and start share buybacks once again.

American banks