May 21 How Do Hedge Funds Work? Question: How do hedge funds work? How do investors gain money from betting on losses? Paul Solman: One way is to borrow an asset like a stock from a broker and promptly sell it, betting it will go down in… Continue reading
May 21 The Life and (Eventual) Death of Toxie, Planet Money's Toxic Asset By Dante Chinni Foreclosures and interest rates are just numbers. Sometimes the best way to examine an economic meltdown is to jump into it with abandon, to witness the carnage up close. In a sense, that's what NPR's Planet Money reporting team… Continue reading
May 21 Friday: Senate Passes Financial Reform; Clinton Condemns North Korea Legislators and policymakers alike are reacting to the Senate's move on Thursday to approve the most sweeping rewrite of financial regulation since the Great Depression, legislation designed to shield the economy from repeating the crisis that since 2008 has left… Continue reading
May 21 Video: Live Feed of Oil Leak Released, BP Raises Siphoning Estimate By Jason Breslow UPDATE: 1:27 a.m. ET Friday BP has posted a new live stream shown below. This stream is intermittent, and requires Windows Media Player. (updated 6/8/2010 with Ustream.tv feed of the spill.)… Continue reading
May 21 Watch Financial Reform Overhaul on Fast Track to Passage A sweeping reform of the nation's financial regulatory system passed a key vote before the Senate late Thursday, fast-tracking a final vote on the overhauls. Judy Woodruff reports on the process to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the… Continue watching
May 21 Reconciling House and Senate Financial Reform Congressional leaders have vowed to hammer out the differences between the Senate and House financial reform bills before July 4. Continue reading
May 20 Senate Passes Landmark Financial Reform Bill In a 59-39 vote Thursday evening, the Senate passed a sweeping overhaul of how the government regulates banks and Wall Street, marking the biggest overhaul of financial regulation since the 1930s and giving President Barack Obama a major policy victory. Continue reading
May 20 Are Banks Borrowing from the Fed at Low Interest and Making Money Buying U.S. Treasuries? Question: I read recently that the “big banks” are borrowing from the Fed at 0.1 percent and buying U.S. Treasuries with the borrowed funds, thereby collecting around 3 percent. Can this possibly be true? Paul Solman: They have been doing… Continue reading
May 20 Watch Regulators, Senate Considers Safety Net, Post-Stock Market Plunge This month's stock market "flash crash" of 1,000 points was the subject of Senate hearings, as the federal regulators proposed new rules to prevent further instability. Jeffrey Brown talks to two financial experts for more on the markets. Continue watching
May 20 Watch U.S. Stocks Tumble Over Weakening Euro, Jobless Claims Stocks fell sharply in the U.S., amid concerns about the weakening Euro and the biggest rise in jobless claims in three months. Jeffrey Brown reports on the market volatility, two weeks after the unexplained "flash crash."… Continue watching