Sep 22 Is it too much to ask that the top CEOs of a big corporation be paid no more than five to 10 times the wage of the lowest paid full-time employee? Question/Comment: Is it too much to ask that the top CEOs of a big corporation be paid no more than five to 10 times the wage of the lowest paid full-time employee? Radical, but… Continue reading
Sep 22 Where do the funds for the bailouts and related rescue efforts in fact come from? Question/Comment: I have 2 naive questions: 1. This is a nuts and bolts/dollars and sense (pun intended) question: Where do the funds for the bailouts and related rescue efforts in fact come from? What is the source of the… Continue reading
Sep 22 Congress Mulls $700B Financial Rescue Plan; Morgan, Goldman Shift Operations By PBS News Hour Lawmakers faced an intense round of negotiations Monday over a proposed $700 billion financial rescue plan as Congressional Democrats called for a cautious approach to stabilizing troubled financial markets and shoring up Wall Street's balance sheet. Continue reading
Sep 21 Why has the Fed repeatedly lowered interest rates? Question/Comment: Repeatedly, the Fed has lowered interest rates, and repeatedly, the market has responded, and repeatedly, it has continued its downward trend. It is obvious that that does not work. Do they want simply to lower interest rates and find… Continue reading
Sep 19 Watch Wall Street Turmoil Marks Wholesale Shift in Banking Sector After a week on Wall Street that saw stalwart financial firms fall and unprecedented levels of government intervention, NewsHour economics correspondent Paul Solman and market historian Richard Sylla offer perspective on the events. Continue watching
Sep 19 Watch Government Eyes Sweeping Wall Street Rescue Plan After Ray Suarez recaps Friday's updates on government efforts to rescue the a financial system teetering on bad mortgage bets, Margaret Warner speaks with a financial columinst and a business reporter about the government's intervention and the impact of the… Continue watching
Sep 19 Does the current financial meltdown prove that our economy is based more on just smoke and mirrors and not on true productivity? Question/Comment: Paul: Does the current financial meltdown prove that our economy is based more on just smoke and mirrors (risky investments) and not on true productivity (ie. goods and services)? And what will be necessary for our economy to truly… Continue reading
Sep 19 Could you explain what a derivative is and how this is part of the Wall Street problem? Question/Comment: On the NewsHour tonight, the speaker stated that some the problem with the fall of Wall Street is related to use of derivatives and lack of regulation of this. Could you explain further what a derivative is and how… Continue reading
Sep 19 What is the source of the money for rescuing large financial firms? Question/Comment: Thank you for your simplified, insightful, and humorous segments on the NewsHour explaining economic complexities. My question: With the federal government $9.5 trillion in debt, this year’s budget deficit projected at $410 billion, and tax revenues insufficient over the… Continue reading
Sep 19 Are our problems limited to the corrupt actions of individual investment firms? Or does this crisis go deeper? Question/Comment: You explain the investment aspect of this crisis very well. I’d like to know more about how the market’s collapse reflects the structural problems of the U.S. economy. Are our problems limited to the corrupt actions of individual investment… Continue reading