Oct 31 When Economic Shifts and Elections Intersect: An Interview With Economist Ray Fair Paul Solman: Every presidential election year for awhile now, we've paid a visit to Yale professor Ray Fair. His computer model for predicting the race, based largely on economics, has become something of a national phenomenon… Continue reading
Oct 31 In Case You Missed It: Lessons of Great Depression Apply to Current Meltdown Editor’s Note: On Thursday, October 30, Paul Solman sat down with economist Eugene White and author Amity Shlae to talk about The Great Depression and what lessons can be gleaned from that era. Shlaes’ book is titled ‘The… Continue reading
Oct 30 Watch Lessons of Great Depression Apply to Current Meltdown The stock market crash of 1929 offers parallels to the spiraling financial crisis of the 21st century, giving insight to measures that can help correct the collapse. Paul Solman talks to two authors on the Great Depression who assess the… Continue watching
Oct 30 Watch Consumers Trim Spending in New Sign of Economic Downturn New data show that consumer spending fell 3.1 percent in the third quarter, its sharpest drop in 28 years. New York Times columnist David Leonhardt examines the latest numbers. Continue watching
Oct 30 U.S. Economy Shrinks as Consumers Slow Spending By Admin, PBS News Hour The Commerce Department reported Thursday the economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.3 percent in the July to September period, indicating that a recession may have already begun. Continue reading
Oct 29 Watch Fed Makes Aggressive Rate Cut in Bid to Loosen Credit Markets In a new move to stem the impact of the financial crisis, the Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate by half a percentage point to 1 percent Wednesday. Krishna Guha, chief U.S. economics correspondent for the Financial Times, discusses… Continue watching
Oct 29 For Ninth Time in a Year, Fed Chops Key Rate Again to 1 Percent By Admin, PBS News Hour As expected, the Federal Reserve slashed a key interest rate Wednesday afternoon by half a percentage point as it seeks to revive an economy hit by a long list of maladies stemming from the most severe financial crisis in decades. Continue reading
Oct 29 Is it correct to assume that the credit crisis is mostly psychological? Question/Comment: Is it correct to assume that the credit crisis is mostly psychological? Banks hold bad paper which needs to be exposed and somehow that debt needs to be paid or securitized again, so that banks regain confidence in other… Continue reading
Oct 28 If the inflation rate is calculated too low, will the economy seem to be growing when it is not? Question/Comment: I am wondering if the government is calculating the inflation rate correctly. If the inflation rate is calculated too low, will the economy seem to be growing when it is not? Is there any measure of how accurate the… Continue reading
Oct 28 Watch White House Considers Extending Bailout to Auto Industry Deepening financial crisis among the nation's biggest auto makers prompted talks to allow corporations to apply for aid under the $700 billion bailout plan. Reporters and analysts weigh the controversy around the access to money for Detroit's Chrysler, G.M. and… Continue watching