Feb 23 The Pain in Spain: Hard Rain Gonna Fall? By Elizabeth Shell The specter of Euro-debt default is again roiling the markets. "Worries Over Europe Pose Risks for Euro," read a headline in Monday's Wall Street Journal. "Spain Pegs Cajas' Possible Problem Debt," warned another. (Cajas are the regional Spanish… Continue reading
Feb 03 AIG and Credit Default Swaps: A Clarification By Elizabeth Shell Name: Merritt Dunn Question: Since the Treasury Department bailed out AIG and AIG had underwritten a large number of credit default swaps (that I understand pay up if a certain percentage of mortgages in a portfolio go into foreclosure), then… Continue reading
Jun 21 Watch Amid Hopes of Economic Recovery, Small Businesses Battle Credit Crunch In his ongoing series of reports making sense of economic news, Paul Solman examines the struggles of companies to gain enough credit to stay afloat as lending remains tight. Continue watching
Oct 16 Watch Bank Earnings Reveal Mixed Recovery on Wall Street Third-quarter earnings revealed a mixed picture on Wall Street as Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan Chase posted healthy profits, while Bank of America continued to struggle under the weight of rising credit card delinquencies and mortgage defaults. Continue watching
Sep 15 Mergers May Signal New Life in Business Sector Mergers and acquisitions are often seen as an indicator of the economy's health; the more companies join forces, the healthier the market. After big deals came to a virtual halt over the past year, a new wave of M&A may… Continue reading
Sep 11 If the FDIC Asks for More Credit from Treasury, What Happens to Inflation? Question: With the FDIC’s funds diminishing, what are the chances it will tap its credit line to the Treasury? And what does that mean for inflation? Paul Solman: The more the… Continue reading
Aug 20 Watch Tougher Credit Card Rules Offer New Consumer Guards New rules for credit card companies took effect Thursday, the first in a series of measures designed to protect consumers from changes to the terms of their card agreements. Jeffrey Brown gets perspective from a consumer advocate and a banking… Continue watching
Jul 27 Bernanke Reflects on Fed’s Actions in Forum In a forum on the Fed's role in the handling of the economic crisis and recovery, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reflected on his desire not to be the Fed chief who "presided over the second Great Depression."… Continue reading
Jul 17 Bank of America, Citigroup Report Strong Profits By PBS News Hour Two ailing banks that just a few months ago symbolized many of the troubles afflicting the American banking system posted strong second-quarter profits Friday, exceeding analysts' expectations. Continue reading
Jun 17 Will the Administration’s Regulatory Overhaul Work? Question: How serious is the administration about true reform of the financial system? Are its plans likely to work? Or is regulation a can of worms, a Pandora’s box, and every other cliche that might be subsumed under the… Continue reading