Blog Profile / Slate - Moneybox
| URL : | http://www.slate.com/id/2193126/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Business & Finance | |
| Posts on Regator: | 443 | |
| Posts / Week: | 1.7 | |
| Archived Since: | June 9, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Who is Debbie Bosanek? Warren Buffett's secretary declines to talk about tax reform.
For nearly two decades, Debbie Bosanek has fielded press calls, investor queries, and sundry other requests for her boss, billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Now, she herself is in the middle of a very bright spotlight.[more...]
A second Great Depression: Eight drastic policy measures necessary to prevent global economic collapse.
Eight drastic policy measures necessary to prevent global economic collapse. None of them will be popular.[more...]
America's decline, China's rise: A fascinating new book argues that the United States has already been eclipsed as the world's dominant economic power.
A fascinating new book argues that the United States has already been eclipsed as the world's dominant economic power.[more...]
The poverty crisis is devastating young Americans. Here's what the president can do about it.
America excels in dramatic crises: When a bank goes bust, when a tornado strikes, there's no country in the world that rises to the occasion better. But we don't do so well with the accretive and perhaps more widely destructive social shifts that creep up on us, which is why the realization that we have a full-fledged poverty crisis is so troubling.[more...]
Warren Buffett and Bank of America: Why it's impossible for regular shareholders to get the sweetheart deals that Buffett gets.
It's not even a week old, and Warren Buffett's deal to invest $5 billion of Berkshire Hathaway's money in Bank of America has already been dissected, parsed, praised, and even criticized. This isn't surprising, of course. Every word that passes Buffett's lips and every move he makes get scrutinized. Show More Summary
The American Kennel Club claims the recession has caused a dognapping crime wave. Is that true?
Has the recession turned Americans into Cruella de Vils? Like an indignant Pekingese, the American Kennel Club is yapping about a supposed surge in dognapping. Since January, the AKC has received 224 reports of stolen pets, up from 150 the same time last year—an increase of 32 percent. Show More Summary
Bank of America: Could it fail and start another financial crisis?
While nobody was looking, America's largest bank approached the brink, tested the wind, lifted a foot, and started teetering. Well, to be fair, some people were looking. Wall Street has been worried about Bank of America for the better part of a year. Show More Summary
Long-term unemployment: Can the Obama administration do anything about it?
There is not much good economic news out there. The unemployment rate is 9.1 percent, and JPMorgan forecasts it will rise to 9.5 percent over the next year. The Wall Street consensus is that the chances we are in or will enter another recession are 30 percent to 40 percent. Show More Summary
Texas Miracle: Can other states replicate Texas' economic success?
On the campaign trail, Texas governor and Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry has repeatedly boasted about the so-called "Texas miracle," the state's impressive economic performance in the last five years. This has set the chattering...Show More Summary
Downgrade for U.S., but no downgrade for France
You probably heard that on Aug. 5 Standard & Poor's downgraded the United States one notch, from AAA to AA. You may not have heard that on Aug. 10 S&P said France's current AA A rating was "warranted" and "stable." S&P was saying that the United States is a bigger credit risk than France.[more...]
U.S. Postal Service: Will it survive?
It is hard to think of a better deal than mailing a letter. In exchange for nothing more than a first-class stamp, the U.S. Postal Service will come to your house, pick up your envelope, and deliver it anywhere in the country. It will bring it from Hawaii to Miami. Show More Summary
Construction Workers: Why a sharp drop in unemployment is not good news.
Since the beginning of the year, something extraordinary has happened in one of the sectors hardest hit by the recession: Unemployment has dropped by more than a third among construction workers. In January, the unemployment rate in construction was a whopping 22.5 percent. Show More Summary
The Fed, computer trading, and hedge funds: Do they rule the market
After the madness of last week and the rollercoaster at the beginning of this week, the stock market recovered from its Aug. 10 rout to bounce 423 points on Aug. 11. It was the fourth day in a row in which the index moved by more than 400 points, which has never happened before in history. Show More Summary
Groupon IPO: Could the company really be worth $30 billion?
Since the daily deals site Groupon launched in November 2008, its story has been about huge numbers, giant savings, and astronomical growth. According to one accounting, it is the fastest-growing company, ever. According to its own accounting, it has become profitable far sooner than most tech startups. Show More Summary
You've already spent your tax windfall on gas and bread.
As we speak, economic stimulus, in the form of about $120 billion in tax rebates, is working its way into America's financial bloodstream. Those taxpayers set up for electronic deposit have already received their cash while those r...
Corporate profits: Can the economy's last bright spot continue to shine?
This year, the otherwise dismal economy has had two real bright spots: a rally in the stock market and rising corporate profits. One of those things is now gone. The question of what will happen with the other remains.[more...]
Standard & Poor's credit downgrade: Downgrade decisions are almost always political.
Criticism of Standard & Poor's decision to downgrade the United States' credit rating from AAA to AA+ has generally gone like this: S&P is full of halfwits with a horrific track record of risk analysis, and they have no right to judge the country's fiscal situation. Show More Summary
Double-dip recession: Why our current economic malaise is going to be hard to shake.
Whether or not an economy is in a recession is something of a technical question. Some economists insist that the country needs negative GDP growth for two consecutive quarters; otherwise, it is just a soft spot. Some economists useShow More Summary
Why the financial markets are tanking.
What is it with August? In August 1998, the emerging debt crisis that eventually took down Long Term Capital Management began, and in August 2007 the subprime-mortgage crisis began showing itself. Here we are in early August 2011, and the markets are tanking. Show More Summary
Dollar stores and the recession: You know the economy is in bad shape when customers say dollar stores are too expensive.
When he was Fed chairman and had access to the best economic data and minds on the globe, Alan Greenspan famously liked to forecast the direction of the economy by studying sales of men's underwear. Even during the best of times, underwear purchases remain pretty flat, he noted. Show More Summary