Feb 12 New Jobless Claims Drop; Retails Sales Up Slightly By Admin, PBS News Hour Government reports show the number of new jobless benefit claims dropped to a seasonally adjusted 623,000, from 631,000 the previous week, while U.S. retail sales jumped 1 percent in January, reversing a six-month downward trend. Continue reading
Feb 11 Congress Reaches Agreement on $789 Billion Stimulus Bill By Admin, PBS News Hour House and Senate negotiators have reached an agreement Wednesday on a $789 billion economic stimulus plan aimed at creating millions of jobs and providing tax cuts for millions of lower and middle income taxpayers, lawmakers say. Continue reading
Feb 11 Watch Detroit Program Aims to Provide Job Training, Hope in Tough Times Eleanor Josaitis co-founded the Detroit program Focus: Hope more than three decades ago to provide job training and other opportunities to the city's residents. With the U.S. mired in a recession and the auto industry future uncertain, her group is… Continue watching
Feb 11 Will Any Plan That Puts People Back to Work Actually Stimulate the Economy? Question/Comment: Everyone seems to have an opinion on what will stimulate the economy and what won’t. Won’t anything that puts people to work stimulate the economy, and are there entities, and their analyses, that can project stimulatory effects of different… Continue reading
Feb 11 Forecasting Our Economic Future Paul Solman: Historians sing of what has passed; journalists, of what is passing; economic forecasters, of what is to come. Over the years, and especially during presidential campaigns, we’ve featured the forecasting model of Yale economist Ray Fair here… Continue reading
Feb 10 Watch Geithner Revamps Bank Rescue Plan The Treasury Department outlined an overhaul of the financial rescue plan Tuesday as the stimulus bill moved forward. Economists and analysts react to the developments. Continue watching
Feb 10 As a Stimulus, Would it Work to Give Money to Americans to Cover Their Mortgage or Credit Debt? By Business Desk Question/Comment: As a stimulus to the economy, would it work to give money to Americans to cover their mortgage or credit debt? Paul Solman: Any spending is a stimulus. You might take a few minutes to read, as I just… Continue reading
Feb 09 Watch Obama Makes Case to Nation for Stimulus Plan President Barack Obama gave a prime-time press conference Monday to make his case to the public for an economic stimulus plan and to respond to other policy issues. Following is the text of Mr. Obama's prepared statement and the full… Continue watching
Feb 09 Watch Other News: Geithner Makes TARP Changes; 4 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner finalized a plan outlining changes to the TARP plan Congress passed last year, and four U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq Monday in a suicide car bombing. Continue watching
Feb 09 $838 Billion Stimulus Plan Clears Senate Procedural Hurdle By Admin, PBS News Hour The Senate on Monday voted 61-36 to end debate on an $838 billion economic stimulus bill, one more vote than needed to avoid a potential filibuster on the measure when it goes to a final vote as early as Tuesday. Continue reading