Apr 17 Citigroup Posts Best Earnings Since 2007 By PBS News Hour Beleaguered banking giant Citigroup broke a year-long streak of staggering losses Friday when it posted a first-quarter net profit of $1.6 billion. Continue reading
Apr 16 Watch Foreclosures Rise in New Sign of Housing Market Trouble New government numbers show that home foreclosures increased 24 percent in the first quarter of this year as compared to the first quarter of 2008 as a voluntary foreclosure moratorium ended on March 31. Analysts discuss the data and the… Continue watching
Apr 16 Is Congress to Blame for Failing to Regulate the Financial Sector? Question: On the Newshour a few weeks ago, there was a piece about the bonuses being paid to AIG’s Financial Products Division. In that coverage, one guest mentioned regulators were blocked from overseeing… Continue reading
Apr 16 In Case You Missed It: The Paradox of Thrift Editor’s Note: On last night’s NewsHour, Paul examined the paradox of thrift. Here’s MIT’s Simon Johnson explaining the phenomenon in the segment: SIMON… Continue reading
Apr 16 Housing Market Continues to Stumble By PBS News Hour New home starts fell more than 10 percent in March, according to new government numbers released Thursday, while foreclosures surged 24 percent in the first quarter of the year. Continue reading
Apr 15 Public Insurance Concept May Prove Sticking Point in Health Care Reform By PBS News Hour As the outlines of a health care reform package begin to emerge in Washington, one of the central dividing lines is quickly taking shape: whether the government will create a public insurance plan that would compete with private insurers. Continue reading
Apr 15 Watch Paul Solman Breaks Down The 'Paradox of Thrift' During the economic downturn, the American savings rate is rising fast, with some unexpected consequences. Paul Solman examines how the economy might suffer when thrifty consumers decide to save their money instead of spending it. Continue watching
Apr 15 Watch Other News: Markets Rise on New Signs of Growth In the day's other news, the stock market rose on new signs of life in the recession-weary economy and Somali pirates unsuccessfully tried to attack another U.S. ship. Continue watching
Apr 15 Are Americans Becoming Savers? Tonight’s NewsHour features a piece called “The Paradox of Thrift.” The phrase refers to the potential downsides of squirreling money away, especially if all of us do it at once. While saving is often a good thing – and something… Continue reading
Apr 15 Can We Prepare for Inflation? Editor’s Note: The government reported Wednesday that consumer prices fell in March, indicating a weakened demand for goods and services. But while this price drop raises the specter of deflation, many economists contend that the real risk to… Continue reading