May 02 Labor Dept. Report Shows Fewer Jobs Lost in April By Admin, PBS News Hour Employers cut fewer jobs in April than in recent months and the unemployment rate dropped to 5 percent, the Labor Department announced Friday. Continue reading
Apr 30 Watch Fed Cuts Rate Again in Latest Bid to Shore Up Economy The Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by a quarter point Wednesday, bringing the federal funds rate down to its lowest level since late 2004. The move is intended to help address the ongoing housing slump and credit crunch. Continue watching
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 04 U.S. Economy Lost 80,000 Jobs in March By Admin, PBS News Hour U.S. employers cut 80,000 jobs in March, the most in five years and the third straight month of losses, according to new Labor Department figures released Friday. Continue reading
Apr 03 Watch Bernanke Says Bear Stearns Rescue Was 'Necessary' Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the agency's rescue of Bear Stearns in a Senate hearing Thursday, saying the move was necessary to prevent further impact on the general economy. Financial experts weigh the Fed's response to recent economic turmoil. Continue watching
Apr 03 Bernanke Defends Fed's Role in Bear Stearns Deal By Admin, PBS News Hour Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended Thursday his agency's decision to assist the ailing investment firm Bear Stearns, calling it a move to prevent a corporate collapse that could have reverberated through the U.S. economy. Continue reading
Apr 02 Watch Fed Chairman Bernanke Says Recession Is 'Possible' Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday told Congress that while the current downturn might be temporary, "a recession is possible."… Continue watching
Apr 02 Economy on Brink of Recession, Bernanke Warns By Admin, PBS News Hour Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress Wednesday that the U.S. economy may continue to shrink -- signaling the possible start of a recession -- in his first testimony since the Fed approved the bailout of investment firm Bear Stearns. Continue reading
Apr 01 Watch Campaigns Push to Connect With Voters on Economic Reform Plans The Bush administration announced plans to overhaul U.S. financial regulatory structure Monday, the latest in a stream of stories on economic woes. Representatives from the Clinton, McCain and Obama campaigns discuss their candidates' views on the ailing economy. Continue watching
Apr 01 I've heard the Federal Reserve is not actually federal and has no reserves, it's a private banking cartel that looks out for the interests of Wall Street, not most Americans. This installment’s “guest vetter” is Larry Koltikoff with Boston University. He is perhaps the best-known American economist on the issue of intergenerational conflict over entitlement spending on programs like Social Security and Medicare. You can check out his full bio… Continue reading