Sep 08 Markets Rise on News of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Takeover By Admin, PBS News Hour Global stocks and the dollar jumped Monday on the news that the government seized control of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Sunday in a landmark attempt to stabilize the firms and contain the financial crisis caused by the… Continue reading
Sep 05 Unemployment Rate Jumps to Five-Year High By Admin, PBS News Hour The nation's unemployment rate rose to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August, according to a new Labor Department report, as employers continued to cut jobs in a troubled economy. Continue reading
Sep 03 Has anyone ever done a study of household income? Question/Comment: Has anyone ever done a study of medium household income to compare what households think they can save to what economists think those households can save? Maybe even further broken down by age group, hopefully indicating wisdom/discipline? Can these… Continue reading
Aug 28 Economy Grows Faster Than Predicted in Second Quarter By Admin, PBS News Hour The U.S. economy grew at a faster-than-predicted pace this spring, spurred by growing exports abroad and a tax rebate at home, new figures show. Continue reading
Aug 26 Health Insurance Rates Rise, Poverty Unchanged in 2007 By PBS News Hour The number of people without health insurance in the United States fell last year for the first time since the beginning of the Bush administration, according to a report released by the Census Bureau Tuesday on poverty, income and health… Continue reading
Aug 26 Home Prices Dip, but Market Signals Improvement By Admin, PBS News Hour While the U.S. housing market continues to suffer from a slide, new statistics released Tuesday show some evidence that the situation is improving as reluctant buyers return to the market to snatch up bargains. Continue reading
Aug 22 Does the U.S. export domestic oil? If so, how much, to where and why? Question/Comment: Does the U.S. export domestic oil? If so, how much, to where and why? Paul Solman: U.S. oil exports are up to 1.6 million barrels a day, according to a recent Reuters report. That’s 9 percent of total refining… Continue reading
Aug 20 The “Whale Oil Myth” This post is hopelessly long-winded, and not even prompted by a viewer question, but by a criticism I stumbled upon while scouring the Internet. As I searched for something economist Lester Lave had said about oil prices in one of… Continue reading
Aug 20 Watch Wall Street’s Role in the U.S. Mortgage Crisis Examined As part of an ongoing series of conversations on recent U.S. economic woes, Paul Muolo co-author of "Chain of Blame: How Wall Street Caused The Mortgage and Credit Crisis" discusses his investiation into Wall Street's connection to the current housing… Continue watching
Aug 19 Wholesale Inflation Rises, Home Construction Falls By Admin, PBS News Hour Wholesale inflation surged in July, leaving prices for the past year rising at the fastest pace in 27 years, while construction of homes and apartments fell to the lowest level in more than 17 years, the government reported Tuesday. Continue reading