Jun 17 Will the Administration’s Regulatory Overhaul Work? Question: How serious is the administration about true reform of the financial system? Are its plans likely to work? Or is regulation a can of worms, a Pandora’s box, and every other cliche that might be subsumed under the… Continue reading
Jun 16 Why Doesn’t the Government Simply Give Households Lots of Money to Stimulate the Economy? Question: One of the most popular suggestions I’ve heard for stimulating the economy is the federal government should give every household one or two million dollars. Would that work or would it create hyperinflation? Paul Solman: Let’s not be profligate… Continue reading
Jun 15 Watch Business Students Rethink Wall Street Plans After the economic slump scuttled their plans to enter the financial sector, business students at Duke University look at different alternatives, such as graduate school, or rethink their career paths altogether. Judy Woodruff talks to some recent graduates in the… Continue watching
Jun 15 Why Is the Cost of Gasoline Increasing? Question: With U.S. oil stocks high and refiners at a low production rate, why is the cost of gasoline increasing at such a high rate? It makes you think that there is more to it than supply and demand. Continue reading
Jun 12 Watch Finance Fallacy: Stocks in the Long Run Financial advice is often loaded with misconceptions and misinformation. In the latest edition of Finance Fallacy, Paul Solman and Boston University professor Zvi Bodie debunk the belief that investing in stocks is the safest, smartest route to financial security over… Continue watching
Jun 12 Could the Government Limit the Number of Layoffs a Profitable Company Could Make? By Business Desk Question: Obama and Geithner said they would act aggressively to fix the economy. So, why hasn’t the administration limited the number of employees that profitable companies may lay off? That could help significantly by keeping the unemployment rate down, partially… Continue reading
Jun 11 Watch ‘Frontline’ Investigates Bank of America Deal An excerpt on Frontline's upcoming report on Bank of America and the government's new role in the banking system, told from the perspective of CEO Ken Lewis and the financial reporters who covered the story. Continue watching
Jun 11 Watch Lawmakers Examine Bank Purchase of Merrill Lynch Officials from the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve pressed Bank of America into purchasing Merrill Lynch last year, the bank's chief executive Ken Lewis told a House committee. Spencer Michels reports on the hearing. Continue watching
Jun 11 Retail Sales Up for First Time in Three Months By PBS News Hour Fewer Americans filed claims for unemployment benefits last week and retail sales grew in May for the first time in three months, raising expectations that the recession could be abating. Continue reading
Jun 11 What Happens to California State Bonds if the State Goes Bankrupt? By Business Desk Question: I live in California and own California State Bonds. What happens to state bonds if the state goes bankrupt? Paul Solman: They stop paying, both interest and principal. That’s what a default IS. Last September 15, Lehman Brothers… Continue reading