Mar 10 Is It Realistic for the President to Cut the Deficit in Half? By Business Desk Question: Is it realistic for the president to cut the deficit in half in four years, even while spending on the war [in Iraq] and moving [troops] to Afghanistan? Paul Solman: The skepticism seems clear and well-taken. The most important… Continue reading
Mar 09 What Are the Benefits of the Stock Market? Question: How does having a stock market benefit the entire country? To the extent that IPOs represent a mechanism for gaining funds for projects that increase profits, it is very useful. But don’t stocks… Continue reading
Mar 09 What’s the Total Wealth of the United States? Question: With all this economic turmoil and talk of trillions of dollars, my question is: What is the total wealth of the United States? If the total U.S. wealth is, say, $100,000 trillion, then spending $1 trillion to help banks… Continue reading
Mar 06 Does Negative News Contribute to the Downturn? Question: I would love to see you do a story on the impact of media coverage on the recession. Over the last two years, there has been a steady drumbeat of “the recession is coming, the recession is coming!” Is… Continue reading
Mar 06 Do We Need a Kinder, Gentler Bubble? Question: Is the answer to the crisis a kinder, gentler bubble? Paul Solman: I’m posing this question to myself, but let me pass the buck from the outset on this one – to the eerily astute Adam Smith — whose… Continue reading
Mar 06 Is Anyone Still Hiring? Question: Is anyone still hiring? Paul Solman: The number is now in: 651,000 jobs shed in February. Also, from the Bloomberg story this morning: “The payroll drop in January was revised up to 655,000 from 598,000 and December now… Continue reading
Mar 04 Does the FDIC Really Protect My Deposits? Question: With as much debt as our government is in, does the FDIC really make my bank deposits safe? And if the FDIC had to pay millions of… Continue reading
Mar 03 What’s the Significance of the Dow Dropping Below 7,000 Points? By Business Desk Question: What’s the significance of the Dow dropping below 7,000? Paul Solman: Just another number. To the extent that people focus on it, however, it can have the effect of increasing the anxiety over stock prices, and lead to more… Continue reading
Mar 03 Why Does AIG Need Yet Another Bailout? Question: Why does AIG need yet another bailout? Paul Solman: As Joe Nocera and Frank Partnoy explained on Monday’s show, it’s all about the “counterparties.” These are the large financial institutions with whom… Continue reading
Mar 02 Do Slum Kids Stand a Chance in Our Global Economy? Question/Comment: A few years back, I made a documentary about an Indian high-tech firm that was offering free Internet access to semi-literate slum children in Delhi, The Hole in the Wall. Now it turns out that project was the real-life… Continue reading