Feb 02 Could Bill Belichick’s grasp of economics be the key to the Patriots’ success? By Paul Solman The summer after the New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl, I visited their training camp for a PBS NewsHour story on their — and the NFL’s — success, from the point of view of economics. Continue reading
Feb 01 Watch 8:34 Can finance cure cancer? By Paul Solman How do you drive investors to spend money on cutting-edge cancer treatments? One idea, according to economist Andrew Lo, is to sell securities in a megafund of research projects. Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores how financial engineering could be the… Continue watching
Feb 01 How income inequality can make or break presidential elections By James K. Galbraith The relationship between political sentiment and measured economic inequalities is so important to understand, even though at first glance it's counter-intuitive. Continue reading
Jan 31 Will my Social Security benefit increase if my startup business takes off? By Philip Moeller If you can afford to suspend your benefits and forego this income, they could be substantially higher by the time you turn 70. Continue reading
Jan 26 Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s weak-dollar myopia is dangerous By Benjamin J. Cohen for The Conversation U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin endorsed the weakening of the dollar as “good” for the United States this week, breaking with long-standing tradition. Continue reading
Jan 26 3 Democratic governors to sue federal government over GOP tax plan By David Klepper, Associated Press Andrew Cuomo of New York, Dannel Malloy of Connecticut and Phil Murphy of New Jersey announced Friday that they’re talking to leaders of other states that stand to be hurt by the federal tax plan that’s expected to cost taxpayers… Continue reading
Jan 25 Watch 3:07 Trump pushes economic agenda, woos foreign investment at Davos By PBS News Hour Arriving at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump aimed to project the image of a serious global leader, discussing possible trade deals with British Prime Minister Theresa May and seemingly delivering an ultimatum to the Palestinians while… Continue watching
Jan 25 Watch 9:05 New Mexico invests in young entrepreneurs to kickstart its sluggish economy By Paul Solman While much of the U.S. economy is on the rebound, New Mexico remains in the dumps since the recession hit a decade ago. Part of the problem may be a statewide brain drain: educated young people taking their careers --… Continue watching
Jan 25 Donald Trump arrives in Davos to tout ‘America First’ agenda By Catherine Lucey, Associated Press While the president is expected to declare that the United States is open for business, the protectionist-leaning president's attendance at the annual gathering for free-trade-loving political and business elites has raised eyebrows. Continue reading
Jan 25 Puerto Rico’s economy will shrink 11 percent by 2019, governor says By Associated Press Governor Ricardo Rossello's proposal, released early Thursday, doesn't set aside any money to pay creditors in the next five years as the island struggles to restructure a portion of its $73 billion public debt. Continue reading