Jan 06 Schwarzenegger Seeks ‘Federal Fairness’ in Final State of the State Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor-turned-lawmaker who rode into office waving a broom with which to sweep California's capital clean, tried to salvage a troubled financial situation in his final State of the State address on Wednesday. Facing a… Continue reading
Jan 06 Why Can’t We Let Too-Big-to-Fail Companies Fail? Question: Paul, I want to ask you about the “bigness” issue — “too big to fail.” If the big corporations produce most of the economy’s products, such as those companies listed in the Dow & S&P 500, percentage-wise, but employ… Continue reading
Jan 05 After Big Monday, Markets Subdued Tuesday A day after the Dow soared more than 150 points -- raising hopes that an economic recovery is taking root, global markets have been mixed Tuesday, with modest ups and downs after a rash of conflicting economic reports. In… Continue reading
Jan 05 Going, Going, Gone: 2009 Was a ‘Recession Battered’ Year As early as mid-2007, there was speculation that the bubble had begun to deflate, and by late 2008 it had burst outright, laying the groundwork for a rough 2009. Sales at Sotheby's and Christie's each declined around 50% from the… Continue reading
Jan 05 How Can We Recover if New Jobs Are Low Paying? Question: How can we recover if even the few jobs out there are so low paying? Income has not kept up since the mid-‘80s when so many people lost their jobs the first time. When spending was down, banks and… Continue reading
Jan 05 Watch Will 2010 Bring a New Recession? Stocks are making gains, but new jobs remain elusive. Judy Woodruff asks a panel of experts whether 2010 will be a year of economic recovery, or merely the start of a double-dip recession. Continue watching
Jan 04 Bernanke: Weak Regulation to Blame for Housing Bubble In a speech to the annual gathering of the American Economic Association in Atlanta on Sunday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the central bank from critics who have said low interest rates earlier this decade helped fuel the housing bubble… Continue reading
Jan 04 What Is Income Inequality Like Within Certain Industries, Such As Banking? Question: I am interested in the question of income inequality or distribution in the United States. Are there any statistics that indicate the degree of inequality by industry in the U.S., like in the banking industry, higher education etc.?… Continue reading
Jan 01 WSJ’s David Wessel on the Shape of the Economy in 2010 By Hari Sreenivasan _pap_embed_custom('news01s3803qd57',482,304,""); Wall Street Journal economics editor and Fed watcher David Wessel stopped by the Rundown to talk shop on different parts of the economy and what to expect in 2010. Recorded on New Year's Eve, so references to "next… Continue reading
Jan 01 Reporting on the Growing Ranks of the Unemployed Editor’s note: Yesterday, Paul wrote a reflection for our Rundown news blog about reporting on unemployment this past year. It’s been an odd year for anyone who, like your correspondent, makes a living in and around economics. Odd… Continue reading