Mar 27 Watch Obama Banking Plan Focuses on Regulation, Credit Thaw President Obama met with banking officials Friday at the White House to discuss financial strategies that will help unfreeze the credit markets and shore up capital. Analysts assess the plan and what it might mean for banks around the country. Continue watching
Mar 27 Was Depression-Era Debt as High as It Is Now? Question: When we hear comparisons between today’s economy and that of the Great Depression, I wonder: Had as many people and institutions been as highly leveraged then as now? Were personal and institutional debt as high then as they are… Continue reading
Mar 27 Conversation: Robert Lynch, President, Americans for the Arts By Arts Desk Amid the economic downturn, many arts organizations around the country are feeling the hurt right now, along with everyone else. Continue reading
Mar 27 How Can Assets Be Toxic If They Were Insured? Question: Why does everyone avoid discussions about PMI (Personal Mortgage Insurance), which protects the lenders from loss and is required on all loans with less than 20 percent down (except VA & Federal Housing… Continue reading
Mar 26 Watch Other News: Wall Street Surge Continues In other news, the Dow Jones industrial average and the Nasdaq both made gains and computer giant IBM announced it will cut about 5,000 jobs from its U.S. workforce. Continue watching
Mar 26 Can Individual Investors Participate in the New Toxic Asset Plan? Question: Is there an opportunity for individual investors who are not super-rich to participate in the new Toxic Asset plan? Maybe something like a mutual fund, or the Treasury’s non-competitive bid process? Paul Solman: Supposedly yes. From an AP… Continue reading
Mar 26 Geithner Details Plan for Major Regulation Reform By PBS News Hour Telling lawmakers that the U.S. financial system has grown "too unstable and fragile," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner rolled out the Obama administration's plans Thursday for a massive overhaul of the government's financial oversight role. Continue reading
Mar 26 Who Was Buying Stocks as the Market Crashed? Question: At the stock exchange, every time someone sells stock, someone else is buying it. Last fall, when the Dow dropped from 16,000 to 8,000, mutual funds, retirement funds, insurance companies, etc. were selling. Who was buying? Who owns all… Continue reading
Mar 25 Watch Other News: Wall Street Rallies on New Economic Data In other news, stocks rose on a Commerce Department report that orders for durable goods increased in February and news that new homes sales rose 4.5 percent. Continue watching
Mar 25 Can We Bring Back Jobs by Retooling Factories? Question: You recently had a segment about the loss of jobs in Elkhart, Ind. I was watching it on KRCB, a station that was not having a pledge drive that day. To fill… Continue reading