Nov 07 Can Anything Good Come From the Crisis? Paul Solman: In anticipation of the weekend, when I don’t get many questions from you folks to answer, I sometimes pose rhetorical questions. And because they come from me, I’m in a unique position to answer them. As is the… Continue reading
Nov 07 What is the reasoning behind having the Fed, rather than the market, set short term interest rates? Question/Comment: Dear Mr. Solman: I’m hoping you will answer my question as to the reasoning behind or justification for having a committee (i.e., the Federal Reserve) setting the price of money, i.e., interest rate. It is generally accepted that it… Continue reading
Nov 06 Watch Newly Elected Senators Assess Priorities en Route to Capitol Hill After Tuesday's election, a handful of newly elected U.S. senators will help reshape the Congress. Senators-elect Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. assess their goals and what influence they will have on the 111th Congress. Continue watching
Nov 06 Watch As U.S. Fiscal Woes Persist, Lawmakers Pledge More Aid The U.S. economy continued to falter as markets sank sharply Thursday for the second consecutive day. A chief investment officer and a journalist discuss congressional plans to craft a stimulus package later this month and weigh efforts by lawmakers to… Continue watching
Nov 06 Will we ever pay down or even pay off the national debt? Question/Comment: Given the history of the ever increasing U.S. national debt and our fluctuating economy, how realistic is it that we will ever pay down or even pay off the national debt? We have never managed to maintain the necessary… Continue reading
Nov 05 Do you think Alan Greenspan really thought that the “bubble” would never burst? By Business Desk Question/Comment: It is my belief that Alan Greenspan is a strong follower of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of a free and unfettered economy. Do you think Greenspan really thought that the “bubble” would never burst? Paul Solman: Greenspan IS (or at… Continue reading
Nov 04 Watch Political History Takes New Course in ’08 Election Elections from both the 1930s and the 1990s have centered on the economy, but the 2008 presidential race featured a unique combination of economic, racial and foreign policy issues. Historians discuss the events and offer some parallels from past elections. Continue watching
Nov 03 Watch As Campaigns Enter Last Day, Candidates Give Final Messages Presidential hopefuls Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., delivered closing arguments Monday in closely contested states such as Ohio. Judy Woodruff reports on their final efforts. Continue watching
Oct 31 Watch Stocks Remain Volatile After Worst Month in Decades Wall Street has endured its worst month in 21 years yet its best week in 34 years. The markets continue to remain unsettled on news of consumer spending cutbacks and investors' fears. The Wall Street Journal's economics editor analyzes the… Continue watching
Oct 31 When Economic Shifts and Elections Intersect: An Interview With Economist Ray Fair Paul Solman: Every presidential election year for awhile now, we’ve paid a visit to Yale professor Ray Fair. His computer model for predicting the race, based largely on economics, has become something of a national phenomenon… Continue reading