Nov 25 Watch Government Widens Support for Home Loans, Credit In an effort to boost economic activity, the Fed and the Treasury announced new plans to boost consumer spending and aid the housing market. Economic analysts examine the Fed's expanding role in managing the crisis. Continue watching
Nov 25 Fed Commits $800 Billion to Unfreeze Credit Markets, Boost Consumer Spending By PBS News Hour The Federal Reserve announced two new programs Tuesday aimed at unfreezing credit for homebuyers, small businesses and consumers. Continue reading
Nov 24 Watch Citigroup Averts Collapse With Government Rescue Plan In an effort to stabilize the teetering American financial giant, the U.S. government stepped up to help Citigroup by injecting $20 billion in capital and agreeing to shoulder most potential losses for the bank's high-risk assets. A New York Times… Continue watching
Nov 24 Watch Obama: Optimistic Fiscal Team Determined to Revive American Economy President-elect Barack Obama unveiled his top economic advisers Monday, saying they share his desire to fuel long-term economic growth and create jobs. Economic experts examine the challenges that lie ahead for the team. Continue watching
Nov 18 Watch Struggling Automakers Press Congress for Federal Aid On Capitol Hill Tuesday, Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson defended their economic rescue strategy and automakers made their case for federal aid. Senators detail the debate over using bailout funds to help automakers. Continue watching
Nov 18 Bernanke, Paulson Defend New Bailout Strategy By Admin, PBS News Hour One week after the Bush administration changed the focus of the $700 billion rescue plan for Wall Street, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson defended the new strategy Tuesday when they testified before House members. Continue reading
Nov 14 Retail Sales Suffer Record Plunge as Consumers Hunker Down By Admin, PBS News Hour Retail sales endured a 2.8 percent drop last month -- their largest plunge on record, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Continue reading
Nov 07 What is the reasoning behind having the Fed, rather than the market, set short term interest rates? Question/Comment: Dear Mr. Solman: I’m hoping you will answer my question as to the reasoning behind or justification for having a committee (i.e., the Federal Reserve) setting the price of money, i.e., interest rate. It is generally accepted that it… Continue reading
Oct 21 Fed to Provide Up to $540 Billion to Money Market Funds By Admin, PBS News Hour The Federal Reserve took new steps Tuesday to loosen struggling credit markets, authorizing a new plan to inject liquidity into money markets as the government continued to search for ways to ease a global financial crisis. Continue reading
Oct 17 Watch Economy Dominates Campaigning as Race Enters Final Stretch Columnists Mark Shields and David Brooks evaluate the candidates' renewed focus on the economy and the likely strategies at play as the Obama and McCain campaigns enter the final stretch. Continue watching