May 13 Simon Johnson on Misleading Messages in the Fight for Financial Reform By Business Desk Paul Solman: On Thursday’s NewsHour, we speak to Simon Johnson about his new book, 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown. A great benefit of this website is that we can share intriguing… Continue reading
May 13 Senate Considers Amendments to Financial Reform Bill Over the past two days, senators have begun considering a handful of the more than 200 amendments filed to the massive financial reform bill aimed at overhauling the U.S. financial system. Already, a few key amendments have passed. Continue reading
May 13 Watch Do Obama's Financial Reforms Measure Up Against Past Attempts? In his ongoing series of reports making sense of the financial system, Paul Solman talks to author and MIT economics professor Simon Johnson about how President Obama's attempts to regulate financial firms compare to reform campaigns of past presidents. Continue watching
May 12 Is It Cheaper to Give Money Directly to Hurting Home Owners? Question: I know hindsight is 20-20, but I wonder. Would we have been better off providing mortgage payment assistance directly to the homeowners? It seems to me that the banks are really interested in conserving capital right now, so there… Continue reading
May 12 Dispatch: China's Balancing Act I spent last week in northeastern China zipping around on new superhighways, passing millions of newly planted trees, new rail lines and massive train stations, enormous shopping malls, and skyscrapers -- all amid a people working, working, working. Continue reading
May 11 Editorial Round-up: EU Rescue Plan By Larisa Epatko Now that European leaders have agreed to a 750 billion euro ($955 billion) relief plan to stem Europe's debt crisis, steps are being taken to make the money available to eurozone countries in need of the help -- and reactions… Continue reading
May 11 Shanghai World Expo: Serious Business with a Side of Campy Fun World's fairs are fun. There, I've said it. Campy fun, perhaps, but fun all the same. Traditional music and native dress. Buildings that attempt to boil down the essence of a country's identity into a striking, but affordable structure. Continue reading
May 11 Even in Tough Times, Realtor Offers Helping Hand By Business Desk Editor's note: While reporting on the real estate crisis in Florida recently, Paul spoke with realtor Kevin Jarrett, who is about to lose his fourth home to foreclosure. What struck Paul was how even as Jarrett struggles with his own… Continue reading
May 10 Is Limited Purpose Banking Being Considered a Possible Reform? Question: Is ‘limited purpose banking’ an idea under consideration in the new financial reform legislation? Paul Solman: I assume you’re talking about Boston University economist Larry Kotlikoff’s notion of turning bank accounts into mutual funds, featured here recently. If… Continue reading
May 10 Markets React Positively to EU's $960 Billion Bailout Agreement After 11 hours of negotiations that stretched into early Monday, EU finance ministers have agreed to an enormous 750 billion euro (about U.S. $960 billion) bailout plan aimed at preventing the Greek financial crisis from spreading further into the… Continue reading