Jun 16 Why Doesn’t the Government Simply Give Households Lots of Money to Stimulate the Economy? Question: One of the most popular suggestions I’ve heard for stimulating the economy is the federal government should give every household one or two million dollars. Would that work or would it create hyperinflation? Paul Solman: Let’s not be profligate… Continue reading
Jun 09 Watch Deciphering the Results of Banking ‘Stress Tests’ NewsHour economics correspondent Paul Solman explains how stress tests played into the government's decision to let ten big banks pay the Treasury back for the money they received from the federal rescue. Continue watching
Jun 09 Watch Treasury Clears 10 Banks to Repay $68 Billion in Bailout Money Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner faced lawmakers' questions after the announcement that ten large banks have been cleared to begin paying back billions of dollars in federal rescue money. Jeffrey Brown talks to Washington Post reporter Binyamin Appelbaum about the details. Continue watching
May 20 Watch Other News: Baghdad Car Bombing Kills at Least 41 Iraqis In other news, a car bombing in Baghdad killed at least 41 Iraqis, injuring 72 others. Also, Pakistan announced its capture of a major Taliban stronghold. Continue watching
May 15 GM Plans 18 Percent Reduction in Dealer Network By PBS News Hour A day after Chrysler unveiled plans to close a quarter of its dealerships, General Motors followed suit Friday by telling about a fifth of its dealers their franchises will be terminated by late next year. Continue reading
May 13 Treasury Seeks More Regulation of Risky Derivative Trades By Admin, PBS News Hour The Obama administration is seeking new authority to oversee the virtually unregulated market for derivatives, a class of exotic financial instruments that includes the risky contracts that helped cripple insurance giant American International Group. Continue reading
Apr 30 Chrysler to File for Bankruptcy After Talks With Lenders Fail By PBS News Hour Chrysler, the nation's third largest automaker, will file for bankruptcy after talks among the company's creditors crumbled, President Barack Obama said Thursday. Continue reading
Apr 20 Bank of America Posts Better-Than-Expected Earnings By PBS News Hour Bank of America, the largest U.S. lender by assets, reported that its income in the first quarter of 2009 more than tripled to $4.2 billion. Continue reading
Apr 10 Why Doesn’t the Treasury Turn Over Banks to the FDIC for Inspection? Question: Why didn’t the U.S. Treasury turn over the banks to the FDIC and let the FDIC do an audit and dispose of the rotten assets? Paul Solman:… Continue reading
Apr 08 As the Amount of Money in Circulation Increases Rapidly, How Does the Fed Prevent Hyperinflation? By Business Desk Question: If the Fed and Treasury have increased the amount of money in circulation by $1.6 trillion in an effort to stave off deflation in the near term, how does the Fed take this money back out of circulation to… Continue reading