WASHINGTON - WALL Street may be soaring again, but the Obama administration will not tolerate a return to the same risky investment behaviour that nearly broke the country's financial system last year, said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

In a wide-ranging interview yesterday ahead of his visit to Singapore for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings later this week, the top US economic official also painted a cautiously optimistic outlook for the country's growth prospects next year.

He told The Straits Times: 'The economy is growing again. Confidence has improved, but (full recovery) is going to take some time.'

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.