Aug 05 Should We Have Dealt With 'Too Big to Fail' in the 1980s? Question: If you go back and look at the recession of 1982, you will see that the Fed bailed out large banks mainly due to bad LDC loans. I think the precedent of moral… Continue reading
Aug 04 Why Does the Govt. Pay Farmers to Not Grow Crops? Editor’s Note: Robert Frank, who recently guest-blogged for several weeks here at the Business Desk with answers to some of life’s economic ironies, once again answers questions posed by viewers. Question: Why does the government pay farmers not to… Continue reading
Aug 04 Watch Despite Federal Aid, Lenders Slow to Modify Home Loans Fewer than 8 percent of eligible borrowers have successfully modified their mortgages under a $75 billion federal plan aimed at halting home foreclosures, according to a Treasury Department report. Jeffrey Kaye reports on the early struggles of the program. Continue watching
Aug 03 Why Do Cars Have Fuel Doors on Different Sides? Editor’s Note: Robert Frank, author of The Economic Naturalist’s Field Guide: Common Sense Principles for Troubled Times, recently guest-blogged for several weeks here at the Business Desk with answers to some of life’s economic ironies: why brides… Continue reading
Aug 03 What's the Basic Function of the Stock Market? Question: I would like to ask you two simple (some might say “simple-minded”) questions, which may be variants of a single question. No one has yet given me a clear, straightforward answer. Perhaps you can and will. 1) Why does… Continue reading
Aug 03 Despite Critics, Senate Considers $2B Boost for 'Cash for Clunkers' By Dave Gustafson The government's "cash for clunkers" program helped prop up sagging auto sales in July, but the popular program is almost out of cash and the Senate is considering a $2 billion infusion by the end of the week. Continue reading
Jul 31 Watch Congress Considers Plan to Influence Executive Pay Congress might give the government some say in how much Wall Street executives are paid. A former SEC accountant and a law professor give their take on the plan. Continue watching
Jul 31 Watch Other News: House to Add $2 Billion to Cash for Clunkers The House rushed to inject $2 billion into the cash for clunkers program, and the Associated Press reported that thousands of decaying bridges are suffering under the stimulus package. Continue watching
Jul 31 Watch Recession Shows Signs of Easing Grip on U.S. Economy New economic figures hinted that the U.S. recession could be slowing down. Jeffrey Brown gets analysis from a banker and a journalist. Continue watching
Jul 31 U.S. Economy Shrinks Less Than Expected By Dave Gustafson The U.S. economy sank at a pace of just 1 percent in the second quarter of the year, the Commerce Department reported Friday, in a better-than-expected showing that the recession could be winding down. Continue reading