Aug 11 GM Unveils 230 MPG Claim for Chevy Volt General Motors announced Tuesday that its long-awaited Chevrolet Volt hybrid, a battery- and gas-powered electric vehicle, can get 230 miles per gallon in city driving, dwarfing every other car on the market in fuel efficiency. Continue reading
Aug 10 Ask Ellen Ruppel Shell, Author of 'Cheap', Your Questions About the High Cost of Discounts Paul Solman: Tonight’s NewsHour will feature an interview with Ellen Ruppel Shell about her new book, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. Our brains are practically hard-wired to love a bargain. But do we then end up with… Continue reading
Aug 10 Watch Bargain-hunting Adds Up to Unexpected Costs In the new book "Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture," author Ellen Ruppel Shell explores modern consumers' love of cheap, mass-produced products, and the downsides -- on wages, the environment, and quality -- that a discount culture creates. Continue watching
Aug 10 What Are Warrants Issued by Financial Institutions? Question: If you have not already done so, would you please explain the warrants that seem to be troubling the financial institutions at the moment? If you’ve already done so, I apologize for asking unnecessarily. Paul Solman: Hey, even if… Continue reading
Aug 07 During August, Public Weighs in on Reform The Senate remained in session this week, but as House members headed home to their districts the focus of health care reform efforts moved off Capitol Hill. Continue reading
Aug 07 Is the "Perfect Storm" Metaphor Appropriate for the Economic Crisis? “The metaphor of the perfect storm is inapt. The captain’s action does not influence the height of the waves. Fed Chairman Bernanke, in contrast, participated in making and implementing interventions that worsened the financial crisis last year.” – from… Continue reading
Aug 07 U.S. Unemployment Rate Dips Slightly to 9.4% By Dave Gustafson For the first time since April 2008, the U.S. unemployment rate fell slightly in July, to 9.4 percent, down from 9.5 percent in June. Continue reading
Aug 07 Watch Other News: Markets Jump on Positive Jobs Report In other news, Wall Street rallied on a Labor Department report that showed the U.S. economy lost fewer jobs than expected in July, and President Obama signed a $2 billion extension of the "cash for clunkers" incentive program. Continue watching
Aug 07 Watch Job Losses Ease in July, but Economic Picture Still Mixed The U.S. economy shed fewer jobs than expected in July, according to new Labor Department figures. Experts discuss what the data says about the job market and an economic recovery. Continue watching
Aug 06 Are Credit Card Companies Raising Rates to Repay the Government? Question: I received a call from my sister this morning asking me for help regarding her credit card debt. According to her bank and credit card issuers, they are raising their credit card interest rates because they have to pay… Continue reading