Benzinga's Political Roundup (STD, AMD, AIG, GS)

Europe raised interest rates this morning by 25 basis points, as it looks to deal with rising inflation caused by surging oil prices. Portugal asked for a bailout yesterday, which could potentially affect Spanish banks like Santander STD, which hold Portuguese debt. President Barack Obama is going to meet with Speaker John Boehner and Senator Harry Reid today to try to avoid a government shutdown. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced yesterday it had sold 42 residential mortgage bonds from its Maiden Lane II portfolio, which it purchased from AIG AIG as part of bailing the company out during the 2008 financial crisis. The government rested its case yesterday against Raj Rajaratnam, who is accused of insider trading such stocks as AMD AMD and Goldman Sachs GS.