Jan 07 Watch Federal Budget Deficit Projected to Skyrocket in 2009 New Congressional Budget Office figures released Wednesday predict the federal budget deficit will hit $1.2 trillion in 2009. Analysts mull what the numbers mean. Continue watching
Jan 07 Deficit Projected to Soar to $1.2 Trillion By Admin, PBS News Hour The federal budget deficit will hit an unprecedented $1.2 trillion for the 2009 budget year, new Congressional Budget Office figures show. Continue reading
Jan 07 Why Has the Price of Oil Decreased So Significantly? Question/Comment: Why has the price of gas decreased so significantly? This seems way more than an incremental adjustment to supply and demand. Is there something non-linear going on? Paul Solman: Brace yourself for a very long answer. The price of… Continue reading
Jan 05 Watch Congress Asks Regulators for Answers in Madoff Scandal Congress questioned federal regulators during a hearing Monday about why so many warning signs surrounding the business dealings of Wall Street investor Bernard Madoff went unnoticed. New York Times reporter Alex Berenson details the latest developments. Continue watching
Jan 05 Auto Sales Plunge in December By PBS News Hour December marked another dismal month for automakers with new figures showing overall sales declines of more than 30 percent as the U.S. auto industry continues to struggle amid the economic downturn. Continue reading
Jan 05 What is the Economic Impact of Military Spending? Question/Comment: I would like to know the impact of military spending on our economy. It seems like it’s a pretty hefty percentage of the annual budget, almost equal to that spent on Social Security; more than is spent on Medicare. Continue reading
Jan 02 Previews of Next Week and a Mideast Trip By Arts Desk We continue to receive many wonderful comments and responses to specific stories and to the entire Art Beat effort. But the news is not always good. Continue reading
Jan 02 Find More of Paul's Thoughts on Twitter and His New Online Article. It’s the weekend again and with the NewsHour dark, there’s no chance to answer questions. So I thought I’d post a couple of things that might interest you. I’m in San Francisco for the annual meeting of economists for a… Continue reading
Jan 02 Can You Explain Why Our Economy Seems to Only Work As Long As We Buy Lots of Cars and Other Consumer Goods? Question/Comment: Can you help me understand why our economy seems to work only as long as we buy lots of cars and other consumer goods, some of which aren’t really necessities? Isn’t there some other way, at least in theory,… Continue reading
Jan 02 Could You Explain the Differences Between a "Recession," "Depression" and "Repression"? Question/Comment: Could you please explain the differences between “recession,” “depression” and “repression”? I understand that recession has a text book definition, but the other two terms seem vague. Paul Solman: “Recession” is two successive quarters of “negative growth” – i.e.,… Continue reading