Jan 30 Watch Fed Cuts Key Interest Rate Again in Bid to Avert Economic Anxieties The Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate by half a point Wednesday -- the second rate reduction in eight days in a bid to help ease pressure on jittery financial markets. Wall Street Journal economics editor David Wessel examines… Continue watching
Jan 23 Watch Congress, White House Hammer out Stimulus Package Details U.S. House leaders met with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Wednesday to shape the details of a economic stimulus package amid fears of a recession and concerns over volatile financial markets, both in the U.S. and abroad. Two economists assess the… Continue watching
Jan 21 Watch Bernanke Put to Test as U.S. Economy Struggles Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has called for government action to revive the slowing U.S. economy, in a key test of his tenure as the head of the central bank. Two business reporters consider how Bernanke is responding to the… Continue watching
Jan 17 Watch Amid Economic Woes, Push Intensifies for Stimulus Package President Bush spoke with congressional leaders Thursday about an economic rescue package as Fed chief Ben Bernanke testified on Capitol Hill that it is "critically important" that a stimulus effort take effect quickly. Members of the House budget panel detail… Continue watching
Jan 04 President Weighs Economic Options As Unemployment Tops 2 Year High By Admin, PBS News Hour President Bush met with economic advisers Friday to consider possible stimulus packages, as the Labor Department announced that low hiring in December pushed the U.S. unemployment rate to 5 percent, a two-year high. Continue reading
Dec 18 Watch Fed Backs New Rules Aimed at Curbing Risky Home Loans The Federal Reserve proposed new mortgage regulations Tuesday that would help protect home buyers from shady lending practices following losses suffered in the risky "subprime" home loan category. A Wall Street Journal reporter looks at the recent mortgage crisis and… Continue watching
Dec 14 How is the Fed to be blamed if financial institutions are reckless and greedy during periods of low interest rates? Question/Comment: Many commentators have blamed the Fed for the mortgage mess. How is the Fed to be blamed if financial institutions are reckless and greedy during periods of low interest rates? Paul Solman: You’re cheating, Lloyd. This is two e-mails… Continue reading
Dec 06 Watch Paulson: No 'Silver Bullet' in Bid to Ease Mortgage Crisis As home foreclosures reached a record high Thursday, President Bush announced a deal with mortgage lenders to freeze interest rates on some subprime mortgages due to move sharply higher soon. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson discusses the details of the proposal. Continue watching
Nov 28 Now that it appears rates will be dropping, where is the best place to keep the bulk of my savings? Question/Comment: As a long time observer of the mortgage market, particularly the subprime segment, I have been anticipating the current economic crunch for some time. Accordingly, I have been keeping a large amount of my savings ($85K) in an FDIC… Continue reading
Nov 28 When can we expect to break even, or at least recover some of the value that we lost due to the declining real-estate market? Question/Comment: Everyone mentions all of those unfortunate people who are defaulting on their home loans due to the sluggish economy. Nobody mentions, however, the many hardworking Americans who saved and struggled to buy their dream homes and they are now… Continue reading