Aug 17 Have the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Hurt the Economy? Question: I often hear that WWII finally ended the Great Depression. How can it be that a relatively short war (WWII) was so helpful to the economy but… Continue reading
Aug 03 What’s the Basic Function of the Stock Market? Question: I would like to ask you two simple (some might say “simple-minded”) questions, which may be variants of a single question. No one has yet given me a clear, straightforward answer. Perhaps you can and will. 1) Why does… Continue reading
Jul 31 U.S. Economy Shrinks Less Than Expected By Dave Gustafson The U.S. economy sank at a pace of just 1 percent in the second quarter of the year, the Commerce Department reported Friday, in a better-than-expected showing that the recession could be winding down. Continue reading
Jul 29 Watch In Forum, Bernanke Says Fed Was Late Addressing Subprime Crisis The third and final installment of a special forum with Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke, moderated by Jim Lehrer in Kansas City, Mo. Continue watching
Jul 28 Watch At Forum, Fed Chairman Calls for Patience on Stimulus In part two of Jim LehrerÆs conversation with Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chief discusses the state of the Obama administrationÆs economic recovery efforts, and the central bank's efforts to help homeowners facing foreclosure. Continue watching
Jul 27 Bernanke Reflects on Fed’s Actions in Forum In a forum on the Fed's role in the handling of the economic crisis and recovery, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reflected on his desire not to be the Fed chief who "presided over the second Great Depression."… Continue reading
May 13 Watch New ‘New Deal’ May Help Boost the Arts In partnership with KQED in San Francisco, NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the prospect for a new "New Deal" for the arts amid the economic downturn. Continue watching
May 05 Reader Response: Robert McElvaine on the Great Depression By Business Desk Comment: The coverage of the Great Depression by Robert McElvaine was so one sided it was unbelievable. [Editor’s note: You can watch the segment below.] Yes, the Great Depression was horrible, millions of people were out of work and… Continue reading
Apr 24 International Monetary Fund Considers How to Help Poor Countries During Downturn By PBS News Hour The International Monetary Fund meets this weekend in Washington, D.C., to consider how to use its lending power to help the world's economies -- particularly the world's poorest countries -- weather the current economic crisis. Continue reading
Apr 15 Watch Paul Solman Breaks Down The ‘Paradox of Thrift’ During the economic downturn, the American savings rate is rising fast, with some unexpected consequences. Paul Solman examines how the economy might suffer when thrifty consumers decide to save their money instead of spending it. Continue watching