Read the NBR team's thoughts about the bailout and America's financial woes. Then post your comments.

To Cut or Not to Cut?

posted by Erika Miller, Correspondent on October 7, 2008

It's hard to see a downside of an emergency interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. Although a rate reduction might not do much to help the economy or credit markets immediately, it probably wouldn't hurt... + More

Was the Decision To Let Lehman Fail a Mistake -- Bernanke's View

posted by Darren Gersh, Washington Bureau Chief on October 7, 2008

I blogged before that I think the decision to let Lehman fail will be debated for years. It's possible that could be pegged as the moment that really intensified the credit crisis. Today Ben Bernanke added... + More

How Will the Paulson Plan Affect Banks that Sell Their Securities to the Treasury?

posted by Darren Gersh, Washington Bureau Chief on October 3, 2008

Wow, that was fast! After saying "no" on Monday, the House of Representatives did an about face and sent the Paulson Plan to President Bush who signed it into law an hour and a half after the final votes... + More

Commercial Paper Market Crumbles

posted by Erika Miller, Correspondent on October 2, 2008

Until recently, Commercial Paper was an obscure part of the bond market most investors didn't care about. But these securities are now squarely in the spotlight... + More

Different Regions & Different Perspectives on the Bailout

posted by Scott Gurvey, New York Bureau Chief on October 2, 2008

Greetings from the other coast. That is, the coast (west) opposite the one from which I usually report (east). I'm in silicon valley working on a story you will see later this month... + More

Mark-to-Market Accounting and the Financial Crisis

posted by Stephanie Dhue, Correspondent on September 30, 2008

Add mark-to-market to the list of things you need to know about this financial crisis. After the S&L crisis and scandals at Enron, WorldCom, etc., the Financial Accounting Standards Board... + More

What Happens Now that the Paulson Plan Failed?

posted by Darren Gersh, Washington Bureau Chief on September 29, 2008

Some quick thoughts on the House voting down the Paulson plan:

1) This isn't over. If the markets continue to fall, pressure will build for Congress to revisit this decision... + More

Did Paulson Make the Right Call on Lehman and What Does It Mean for...

posted by Darren Gersh, Washington Bureau Chief on September 29, 2008

Make no mistake, the decision to let Lehman fail was Henry Paulson's. The Federal Reserve might have wanted to arrange a bailout, but without the political blessing of the Bush... + More

The House Republican Plan to "Insure" Bad Assets

posted by Darren Gersh, Washington Bureau Chief on September 26, 2008

Things are moving fast in Washington, but here are some quick thoughts on the House Republican plan to sell government insurance against bad assets. Key question: will it lead... + More

Mommy, Is this like the Great Depression?

posted by Stephanie Dhue, Correspondent on September 24, 2008

"Mommy, is this like the Great Depression?" my 10 year old daughter asked me last month. For better or worse, my kids know a little bit about what's going on in the economy. Her question was sparked by an... + More

Why Won't Paulson and Bernanke Use the Words "Great Depression?"

posted by Darren Gersh, Washington Bureau Chief on September 24, 2008

The politicians have a problem. They've been asked to pony up $700 billion in taxpayer dollars, just weeks before an election, to help bail out people who think a $1 million bonus is chump... + More

$700 Billion Bailout - The Economists' Perspective

posted by Erika Miller, Correspondent on September 23, 2008

$700 billion for a bailout plan sure sounds like a lot. But economists don’t think additional US Treasury debt in that amount would put much of a strain on the economy. Many... + More

The Push to Regulate the Credit Default Market

posted by Stephanie Dhue, Correspondent on September 23, 2008

At today's big hearing on Capitol Hill, the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Christopher Cox, called for authority to regulate the credit default market. He told... + More

Bailout Hearing -- Quote Machine

posted by Darren Gersh, Washington Bureau Chief on April 15, 2008

I, like many in the media, spent the morning watching Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chair Ben Bernanke testify before the Senate Banking Committee... + More

Scott Gurvey's Public Offering - Deja Vu All Over Again

posted by Scott Gurvey, New York Bureau Chief on September 23, 2008

So much news, so little space. Plus the fear that anything I write will be obsolete by the time it gets read, even at Internet speeds. Still, I guess it goes with the... + More