Jun 26 Watch Wall Street Jitters, Fuel Costs Spread Economic Woes The Dow Jones dropped Thursday to its lowest point since September 2006, due to economic woes and soaring oil prices across the country. A chief investment officer examines the impact of the bleak news on the national economy. Continue watching
Jun 26 Scientists to Begin Mapping the Cocoa Genome By PBS News Hour Chocolate maker Mars Inc. will fund a five year, $10 million project to map the cocoa bean genome -- work that could lead to hardier, higher-yielding crops and better quality chocolate, the company announced Thursday. Continue reading
Jun 26 Why don't we hear government and private businesses pressuring to revitalize the U.S. rail system to help reduce the oil crisis? Question/Comment: Why don't we hear the government and private businesses pressuring to revitalize the US rail system to help reduce the oil crisis? I thought the rails were the most fuel-efficient form of transportation. Paul Solman: From a… Continue reading
Jun 24 Can you help explain how commodity exchanges and "commodity futures" and "index futures" work? By Business Desk Question/Comment: Can you help explain how commodity exchanges and “commodity futures” and “index futures” work? Apparently both some members of Congress, and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, are looking into how speculators affect oil and food prices. As the typical… Continue reading
Jun 24 Home Prices, Consumer Confidence Take Tumbles By PBS News Hour U.S. home prices extended their record slide in April, with every top metropolitan area now posting annual losses and many showing double-digit declines, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index report released Tuesday. Continue reading
Jun 24 Watch Increasing Fuel Costs Raise New Energy Concerns Concerns over high oil prices continue as lawmakers struggle to find production solutions. Two energy consultants discuss the factors behind the ongoing price jumps and analyze the trajectory of fuel costs for the near future. Continue watching
Jun 19 More than 400 Arrested in Mortgage Fraud Sting By Admin, PBS News Hour More than 400 real estate industry workers have been indicted since March in a Justice Department crackdown on incidents of mortgage fraud nationwide -- a key contributing factor to the country's housing crisis. Continue reading
Jun 18 President Urges Congress to Lift Offshore Oil Drilling Ban By PBS News Hour Amid soaring gas prices and increased debate over energy policy, President Bush urged Congress Wednesday to end a 27-year ban on offshore drilling in U.S. coastal waters before its Fourth of July recess. Continue reading
Jun 17 What are the pros and cons for denominating oil worldwide in U.S. dollars? Question/Comment: What are the pros and cons for denominating oil worldwide in U.S. dollars, versus in some other currency or basket of currencies? Paul Solman: For whom? The big pro, from the US point of view, is that… Continue reading
Jun 16 Iowa Residents Wait to Return Home As Flood Waters Move On By PBS News Hour Flood fears eased in Iowa City Monday, as a string of towns in the state's south and east along the Mississippi River prepared for new problems caused by a recent bout of torrential rains and bad weather. Continue reading