Mar 17 Fed Makes Weekend Move to Aid Credit Markets By Admin, PBS News Hour Amid news of a fire sale buyout deal for lending group Bear Stearns, the Federal Reserve took more bold action over the weekend. Continue reading
Mar 14 Watch Americans Feel Economic Pains Despite Government Efforts President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sought to bolster confidence Friday that U.S. economic growth will recover despite a recent string of bleak economic reports. Two financial reporters examine how the slowdown is impacting American consumers. Continue watching
Mar 13 Watch From Lending Rules to Job Woes, Economic Tumult Persists Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called for tougher rules for mortgages lenders Thursday, while investment fund Carlyle Capitol faced collapse after defaulting on $16 billion in debt as a string of new reports this week signaled continued weakness in the U.S. Continue watching
Mar 11 Costs at the Pump Reach Record as Oil Prices Soar By Admin, PBS News Hour Prices at the gas pump rose to a record high Tuesday as oil prices climbed, putting further strain on American consumers already confronted with slumping home values and overall concerns about a lackluster economy. Continue reading
Mar 10 Spain’s Socialist Party Wins in General Elections By PBS News Hour Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist Party won national elections for a second consecutive time Sunday, gaining seats in parliament but again falling short of an absolute majority. Continue reading
Mar 07 Watch U.S. Shed 63,000 Jobs, Spurring More Economic Fears Recently released economic statistics show the U.S. lost 63,000 jobs in February. An executive at a job placement firm and a former top-level Department of Labor official examine the factors behind these job-market losses and what lies ahead for the… Continue watching
Mar 07 Terrorism, Economy Weigh on Spain’s Elections By PBS News Hour For much of its history, Spain has been isolated from the political and social currents of the rest of Europe. Continue reading
Mar 04 Watch Falling Dollar Pushes Oil Prices Up, Weakening Economy As the value of the dollar falls, the price of imported oil rises, which impacts costs from the gas pump to the grocery store. A reporter from the Wall Street Journal examines the current state of oil prices. Continue watching
Mar 04 Watch Dollar’s Falling Value Ripples Through U.S. Economy As the value of the dollar has fallen, the U.S. economy has had to adjust in a multitude of areas. While some sectors have benefitted from cheaper U.S. exports, others have felt the pinch of inflation. Paul Solman examines the… Continue watching
Mar 04 Do you think that overproduction or declining profit rates have contributed to the present subprime loan crisis? Question/Comment: Karl Marx, in his work “Capital,” alluded to the idea that overproduction contributed to a general historical tendency of capitalism to be undermined by declining returns on capital. Do you think that overproduction or declining profit rates have contributed… Continue reading