Aug 13 When Did Formerly Safe Bonds Become Unsafe? Question: My question is: What about U.S. bond holders? I’ve seen bailouts of incompetent banks and businesses and some selective shareholder groups. Investment grade bonds were considered to be the safest investment next to… Continue reading
Aug 13 Home Foreclosures Set Third Record in Five Months By Online DA Foreclosure filings in the United States jumped in July, again setting a record for the third time in five months. The increase was due to falling home prices and the recession, which kept some homeowners from making payments or refinancing. Continue reading
Aug 12 Fed Holds Key Interest Rate at Record Low The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it will keep short-term interest rates at a record low in order to further stabilize the U.S. economy. But it signaled confidence in the recovery, saying economic activity is "leveling out."… Continue reading
Aug 12 Where Are Toxic Assets Now? Question: TARP was originally proposed to deal with “toxic assets” to unclog the books of financial institutions and prevent them from becoming insolvent. The toxic assets to date have not been bought up, so… Continue reading
Aug 12 Watch Fed Decision Signals Optimism for Economy The Fed decided Wednesday to keep short-term interest rates at a record low to help stabilize the economy. Jeffrey Brown speaks with a Washington Post reporter about the economic outlook. Continue watching
Aug 12 Watch Crisis Turned Federal Reserve Into Fourth Branch of Government, Author Says "In Fed We Trust" author David Wessel discusses how the central bank reacted to the financial crisis and its changing role in setting U.S. and global financial policy. Continue watching
Aug 11 Did Hank Paulson Just Want to Save Goldman Sachs? By Business Desk Question: [In the Bernanke on the Record forum hosted by the NewsHour,] Chairman Bernanke did not mention the bailout of Goldman Sachs — the first bank to receive such funds. Was it more critical to the survival of the… Continue reading
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