Jun 17 Will the Administration’s Regulatory Overhaul Work? Question: How serious is the administration about true reform of the financial system? Are its plans likely to work? Or is regulation a can of worms, a Pandora’s box, and every other cliche that might be subsumed under the… Continue reading
Jun 11 Watch ‘Frontline’ Investigates Bank of America Deal An excerpt on Frontline's upcoming report on Bank of America and the government's new role in the banking system, told from the perspective of CEO Ken Lewis and the financial reporters who covered the story. Continue watching
Jun 11 Watch Lawmakers Examine Bank Purchase of Merrill Lynch Officials from the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve pressed Bank of America into purchasing Merrill Lynch last year, the bank's chief executive Ken Lewis told a House committee. Spencer Michels reports on the hearing. Continue watching
Jun 11 What Happens to California State Bonds if the State Goes Bankrupt? By Business Desk Question: I live in California and own California State Bonds. What happens to state bonds if the state goes bankrupt? Paul Solman: They stop paying, both interest and principal. That’s what a default IS. Last September 15, Lehman Brothers… Continue reading
Jun 03 Watch Analysts Weigh Economic Impact of GM Bankruptcy Filing Analysts take a closer look at the deeper, long-term effects of General Motors' bankruptcy filing. Continue watching
Jun 02 Watch Political Stakes High in GM Bankruptcy Plan The political stakes are high for the Obama administration in guiding General Motors into bankruptcy -- and allowing the government to take a majority stake in the company. Analysts examine the political and economic implications of the decisions. Continue watching
May 27 A Final Thought on the Andrews-McArdle Affair Paul Solman: The blizzard of response to the Andrews/McArdle affair has thinned to a flurry, but flakes keep coming, affording me an opportunity to respond to the persistent inclemency and continue the multi-logue, a first for this page. Continue reading
May 27 Do Mutual Funds Count as Savings? Question: You recently did a piece on savings, and it made me wonder. Every month, I shunt some money automatically into mutual funds (nothing to do with an official retirement account). The portion that is in a money market… Continue reading
May 21 Watch For One Reporter, a Personal Journey Through the Mortgage Meltdown In the latest report of his Making Sen$e series, Paul Solman talks to New York Times economics reporter Ed Andrews, who chronicles his personal tale of the mortgage crisis in "Busted: Life Inside the Great Mortgage Meltdown."… Continue watching
May 20 Ask Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely Your Questions About the Economic Crisis and Human Behavior Editor’s Note: Dan Ariely, a noted behavioral economist at Duke University and author of Predictably Irrational, is different from many of his economist colleagues. Ariely studies irrationality in economic behavior — despite the fact that economics is largely… Continue reading