Mar 30 Will We Still Reject Materialism After the Downturn? Question: I enjoyed your recent interview with Robert McElvaine. (Editor’s note: Watch the interview below.) His thesis that the downturn will lead us away from consumption as a way of life to what really matters is interesting. Am I… Continue reading
Mar 27 Watch Obama Banking Plan Focuses on Regulation, Credit Thaw President Obama met with banking officials Friday at the White House to discuss financial strategies that will help unfreeze the credit markets and shore up capital. Analysts assess the plan and what it might mean for banks around the country. Continue watching
Mar 23 Watch Toxic Asset Plan May Woo Investors, but Long-term Impact Is Unclear While markets rose Monday on details of the toxic asset plan, critics voiced concern over taxpayer risk and the need for a long-term fix to financial sector troubles. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and Donald Marron of Lightyear Capital… Continue watching
Mar 23 Watch Obama Team Launches New Plan to Buy Bad Assets From Banks White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers details the Treasury Department's plan to clear "toxic" assets from banks through a combination of public and private investment. Continue watching
Mar 18 Watch Fed to Pump Another $1 Trillion Into Economy The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it will devote another $1.2 trillion to unfreeze credit markets and help stimulate the sluggish economy. Greg Ip of The Economist provides details on the move. Continue watching
Mar 17 How Do We Get Banks Lending Again? Question: Given our collective financial plight and our need for credit to survive, how do we get banks to be banks again (read: lend)? Can it be legislated – and if not, how can we surmount our impasse? Paul Solman:… Continue reading
Mar 12 Watch Spike in Foreclosures Reveals Continued Housing Trouble Foreclosure filings continue to rise nationwide, with new data showing an increase of 30 percent in February from the same month one year ago. An analyst assesses the numbers and how they tie to the overall economic picture. Continue watching
Mar 11 Watch Banking Plan Aims to Combine Public, Private Funds Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said he is working on a plan to remove so-called "toxic" assets from banks by having the government partner with private investors to create special funds. Analysts discuss the pros and cons of the strategy. Continue watching
Feb 23 Watch Obama’s Vow to Halve Deficit Puts Focus on Budget Plan President Barack Obama cast a new focus on the budget deficit Monday, announcing a goal of halving the $1.3 trillion gap by the end of his first term. Analysts weigh the goal. Continue watching
Feb 19 Watch The Amazing Adventures of ‘Savings Man’ In the latest of his series of reports on the financial crisis, Paul Solman speaks to the founder of an organization funding creative public service ads on saving money. Continue watching