May 28 Watch Chicago Transit Agency Gets An Upgrade Thanks to Stimulus Money In Chicago, stimulus funds provide a transit agency with a much-needed upgrade. NewsHour correspondent Elizabeth Brackett reports. Continue watching
Apr 27 When Will Any Housing Recovery Reach Small Businesses and Contractors? Question: The housing downturn has affected not only large builders, but also small businesses and contractors that support and supply them. How long will any recovery take for these sort of businesses? Paul Solman: I’m sort of a broken CD… Continue reading
Apr 16 Housing Market Continues to Stumble By PBS News Hour New home starts fell more than 10 percent in March, according to new government numbers released Thursday, while foreclosures surged 24 percent in the first quarter of the year. Continue reading
Mar 17 Watch Other News: New Home Construction Surges in Jan.; Caterpillar Plans Layoffs Construction of new homes and apartments surged more than 22 percent in January, and the Caterpillar company plans to lay off more than 2,400 employees across five factories. Continue watching
Mar 17 New Home Construction Jumps as Wholesale Prices Edge Up By PBS News Hour The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that construction of new homes and apartments jumped 22.2 percent in February compared with January, pushing total activity to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 583,000 units. Continue reading
Feb 27 What Are “Targeted Jobs”? By Business Desk Question/Comment: Paul, can you explain what “targeted jobs” are? Are these something different from the type of jobs that people are losing now? It seems to me that $30,000 spent on retaining a librarian would have the same economic benefit… Continue reading
Feb 04 Watch Global Economic Downturn Slams Ireland, Spares Poland The economic slump is affecting European Union member countries very differently. In Ireland, companies are laying off workers, while the Polish economy is growing. Special correspondent Jeffrey Kaye reports. Continue watching
Jan 29 Who is Right? Krugman or Mankiw? Question/Comment: Paul, please help me understand who is more correct when it comes to the multiplier as applied to tax cuts, versus increased government spending. Professor Greg Mankiw believes that the stimulus package should have more tax cuts, while… Continue reading
Jan 22 Microsoft Cuts 5,000 Jobs As New Unemployment Claims Rise By Admin, PBS News Hour In another sign of how bad the economy is getting for even the biggest companies, Microsoft Corp. announced Thursday that it is cutting 5,000 jobs over the next 18 months. Continue reading
Jan 16 Watch Author Offers Insights on Slavery, the Capitol, and Obama’s Inauguration Jesse J. Holland, author of "Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African American History in and around Washington, D.C." reflects on the poignancy of Barack Obama's inauguration in a city that was built partially by slaves. Continue watching