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The federal government issued a weak retail sales report Wednesday. The Commerce Department says retail sales dropped 2.7 percent last month — the sixth straight month of declining sales. ()
The money may be available to the new administration shortly after Obama takes office next Tuesday. ()
He's among several Democrats who have criticized the plan for giving too much emphasis to tax cuts. ()
January 12, 2009 · The government is pushing interest rates on home loans down to their lowest levels in more than 35 years. That's helped a lot of people who've refinanced save hundreds of dollars a month on their mortgage payments. But a lot of people can't qualify for those low rates. And it's not just those with bad credit. People with more expensive homes are also being left out. ()
January 12, 2009 · During hard times economic times, everybody seems to be buying less — even people who still have jobs. The recession is scary. But what better way to calm the nerves than with a nice glass of wine. Wine lovers and the people who supply their favorite beverage are finding ways to get by in the recession. ()
January 11, 2009 · The adult entertainment industry doesn't make cars or loans, but porn mogul Larry Flynt thinks Congress should help it weather the economic crisis. Despite the recession, some in the industry are finding new ways to keep the spring in their step. ()
January 10, 2009 · For things like eggs and honey, some urban and suburbanites are skipping the store entirely and turning instead to their own backyards. Whether from tighter food budgets or local eating ideals, more people are petitioning their cities to allow small-animal husbandry. ()
January 10, 2009 · This week's economic news and how the U.S. economy reverberates throughout the world. ()
January 9, 2009 · Citigroup has reached a deal with top Democrats in the Senate on legislation to prevent home foreclosures. The lawmakers want to empower bankruptcy judges to force lenders to lower homeowners' payments. ()
January 7, 2009 · Despite the recession, consumers are expected to spend a lot of money on consumer technology. The top trends for 2009 include touch-screen displays, electronic book readers, high-definition flash camcorders, netbooks and climate control systems. ()
January 6, 2009 · With grim economic news coming out almost daily, Morning Edition wondered if Americans are making contingency plans. Some people in Los Angeles explain how they would cope if they lost their job or if there were another Great Depression. ()
January 2, 2009 · Economists often disagree about ways to solve economic problems. Two economists duke it out in a boxing match of words. In one corner, a supporter of the incoming Obama administration's stimulus plan who says government spending is essential to create jobs. In the other corner, an economist who believes taxpayers — not the federal government — should decide where to spend a trillion dollars of the nation's economy. ()
December 31, 2008 · Over the past year, the government has sent $100 billion in stimulus checks to taxpayers and bailed out Wall Street, banks and automakers. However, the economy still hasn't turned around. David Wessel, economics editor of The Wall Street Journal, talks with Steve Inskeep about why the economy isn't getting stronger. ()
December 31, 2008 · GMAC is the most recent beneficiary of a government bailout. As the financing arm of General Motors, it supplies funding for auto dealers to buy inventory and credit for consumers to buy cars. It is also a major player in the home mortgage market. ()
December 30, 2008 · Most of the billions in bailout money that the government has handed out so far has gone to the nation's banks. The idea was that with more money on their balance sheets, banks would make more loans and that would help jump-start the economy. But it hasn't quite worked out that way. ()
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The Vice Fund is an investment vehicle that puts money into tobacco, alcohol, gambling stocks.
Should the recent dive in the Dow Jones index act as a wakeup call for those who play the market?
Buffett, 76, says he's won't quit anytime soon, but is looking for someone to take on his portfolio.
