May 05 Fed Chair: Economy Should Grow Later in 2009 By Admin, PBS News Hour Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers Tuesday that the economy should pull out of a recession and start growing again later this year. Continue reading
Apr 30 Why Is the Gold Standard a Bad Idea? Question: Why is the gold standard such a bad idea? I know it is a discredited system, but having never studied economics, I don’t understand why. Right now, is our money just some arbitrary amount issued by the Federal Reserve?… Continue reading
Apr 15 Consumer Prices Fall in March on Energy Costs By Admin, PBS News Hour Consumer prices fell in March, the government reported Wednesday, indicating that weakened demand for goods and services during the economic downturn has kept a damper on energy and food costs. Continue reading
Apr 13 Where Is the Bailout Money Hiding? Question: You did a great job explaining where the money for the bailouts comes from. Can you now tell us where, exactly, it is going? If there are so many trillions of dollars sloshing about, how come the… Continue reading
Mar 26 Watch Geithner Details Plan for Major Federal Financial Regulation Reforms Telling lawmakers that the U.S. financial system has grown "too unstable and fragile," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner rolled out the Obama administration's plans Thursday for a massive overhaul of the government's financial oversight role. Continue watching
Mar 24 Watch Geithner and Bernanke Testify on AIG, Regulation Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testified before Congress on the administration's handling of executive compensation for companies receiving federal loans and asked for expanded federal regulatory powers. Jeffrey Brown reports. Continue watching
Mar 19 Is the Federal Reserve Public or Private? By Business Desk Question: Is the Federal Reserve “federal” as the name implies, or is it as “federal as Federal Express,” meaning a private, for-profit corporation? I’ve heard it both ways and would like the answer clarified by a hard-hitting reporter whose willing… Continue reading
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 18 How and Why Is the Fed Creating $1 Trillion? By Business Desk Question: How and why is the Fed creating $1 trillion in new funds to buy securities? Paul Solman: They’ve been calling Fed chairman Bernanke “Helicopter Ben” since he told conservative economics icon Milton Friedman, in a speech a few… Continue reading
Mar 17 Watch When the Government Writes Checks, Where Does the Money Come From? With billions of dollars paid out or promised for financial industry bailouts and the stimulus bill -- and more requests on the way -- Paul Solman looks at where the government is getting the money to pay for the rescue… Continue watching