Mar 14 Watch Americans Feel Economic Pains Despite Government Efforts President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sought to bolster confidence Friday that U.S. economic growth will recover despite a recent string of bleak economic reports. Two financial reporters examine how the slowdown is impacting American consumers. Continue watching
Mar 11 Costs at the Pump Reach Record as Oil Prices Soar By Admin, PBS News Hour Prices at the gas pump rose to a record high Tuesday as oil prices climbed, putting further strain on American consumers already confronted with slumping home values and overall concerns about a lackluster economy. Continue reading
Mar 07 Watch U.S. Shed 63,000 Jobs, Spurring More Economic Fears Recently released economic statistics show the U.S. lost 63,000 jobs in February. An executive at a job placement firm and a former top-level Department of Labor official examine the factors behind these job-market losses and what lies ahead for the… Continue watching
Mar 04 Watch Dollar’s Falling Value Ripples Through U.S. Economy As the value of the dollar has fallen, the U.S. economy has had to adjust in a multitude of areas. While some sectors have benefitted from cheaper U.S. exports, others have felt the pinch of inflation. Paul Solman examines the… Continue watching
Mar 03 Watch Labor Unions Echo Ohio’s Wider Divisions Over Primary With polls showing Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton running a tight race in Ohio, the debate among Ohioans over which candidate to back in Tuesday's primary is being echoed from the Buckeye State's solidly Democratic labor… Continue watching
Feb 26 Consumer Confidence Drop Among Economic Woes By Admin, PBS News Hour Consumer confidence and home prices plunged while wholesale inflation and home foreclosures jumped, a swath of new negative U.S. economic reports showed Tuesday. Continue reading
Feb 22 Do countries such as China react to counter downward trends in the U.S. economy? Question/Comment: Do countries such as China, which are so dependent on a healthy stable U.S. economy, react to counter downward trends in the U.S. economy (e.g., recession)? If so, what kinds of steps do they take? Paul Solman: Yes,… Continue reading
Feb 19 If excess liquidity has caused these investments that are now going bad, how does the Fed increasing liquidity with lower interest rates help the economy? Question/Comment: If excess liquidity has caused these investments that are now going bad, how does the Fed increasing liquidity with lower interest rates help the economy? Paul Solman: Because it prevents the system from freezing up entirely. It’s a calculated… Continue reading
Feb 18 Watch Democrats Stump for Support Before Wisconsin Vote Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- still locked in a battle for delegates -- are jockeying for voter support before Tuesday's Wisconsin primary. Two journalists discuss the state of the race in the Badger State. Continue watching
Feb 15 It’s been a long time since I took Econ. 101, but as I remember, if you keep printing ever-greater amounts of currency, inflation takes on a life of its own. Question/Comment: It’s been a long time since I took Econ. 101, but as I remember, if you keep printing ever-greater amounts of currency, inflation takes on a life of its own. Isn’t that what we’ve been doing at the rate… Continue reading