Apr 30 Federal Reserve Trims Key Interest Rate By Admin, PBS News Hour In a smaller move than in past months, the Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by a quarter percentage point Wednesday in what could be the last in a line of reductions aimed at boosting an economy hit hard… Continue reading
Apr 29 Number of Homes Headed to Foreclosure Doubles By Admin, PBS News Hour The number of U.S. homes headed toward foreclosure in the first quarter of the year more than doubled from the same period a year ago, a real estate data firm announced Tuesday. Continue reading
Apr 25 Doesn’t Bear Sterns hiding of their problems while continuing to sell mortgage-backed securities as if all was well constitute fraud? Question/Comment: Bear Sterns did not go under overnight. Unless they are incompetent, the executives must have known what was happening for at least a year, maybe longer. So how come they took hundreds of millions in salary and bonuses (maybe… Continue reading
Apr 21 Watch Rural Pennsylvania May Help Swing Primary Vote In the battle for Pennsylvania votes, the central area of the state may prove influential to the outcome of Tuesday's Democratic primary. A political reporter and a pollster assess which way the votes in central Pennsylvania may swing. Continue watching
Apr 21 Watch Close Primary Reveals Split Among Pittsburgh Elected Officials Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama made a final push to court Pennsylvania voters Monday, a day before the state's primary contest. Two Pittsburgh city council members, who are split in their endorsements, discuss the city's political leanings. Continue watching
Apr 21 Watch Economy Weighs on Minds of Pittsburgh Voters As part of the Big Picture election series focusing on Pittsburgh, Ray Suarez examines how the economy and other issues are weighing on the minds of voters in Steel City as the region works to reinvent itself from an industrial-based… Continue watching
Apr 18 How can any elected official do anything about the economy? Question/Comment: How can any elected official do anything about the economy when 90 percent of the budget goes to the military, entitlement programs, earmarks and the national debt? Paul Solman: She or he can vote to spend less (or more)… Continue reading
Apr 18 Citigroup Reports $5.1B Loss, Cuts 9,000 Jobs By Admin, PBS News Hour Citigroup Inc. lost $5.1 billion during the first quarter and will eliminate about 9,000 more jobs, as it suffered the impacts of poor bets on mortgages and shaky credit markets. Continue reading
Apr 17 How much of a drag is the current deficit on GDP growth? Question/Comment: Can you elaborate on the pro and con arguments behind our current account deficit? How much of a drag is it on GDP growth? Paul Solman: Pro: We get to buy more now… Continue reading
Apr 07 If deficit spending stimulates the economy then won’t imminent plans to wind down the war and trim spending offset any stimulus packages? Question/Comment: If deficit spending stimulates the economy then won't imminent plans to wind down the war and trim spending offset any stimulus packages? Paul Solman: Hmmm, interesting point: an argument for continuing the war might be its stimulating… Continue reading