The government is lending insurance giant AIG $85 billion in exchange for an 80 percent stake in the company. Is this a good deal for the government? Stacey Vanek-Smith talks to economist Mark Zandi.
The federal government let Lehman Brothers die this week, so why is it coming to the aid of AIG? Was the insurance giant really just too big to fail? Scott Jagow puts the question to Jeremy Hobson in New York.
The $1.7 billion deal also saves about 10,000 jobs. Those workers are relieved, but Lehman didn't get the price it wanted. Megan Williams talks to a financial analyst about how this affects the global market.
What's up with the free marketeers in the Bush Administration rushing to help out the big firms on Wall Street? Commentator Robert Reich looks back at the last few years to find what started this mess.
Since the mortgage crisis has hit Wall Street, President Bush has said little and offered little involvement. But what difference can a president really make in economic times like these? Jeremy Hobson reports.
With the nation's biggest investment banks taking body blows and the world's biggest insurer on the ropes, it's not surprising people in the financial markets are a bit hysterical. But what about Main Street and regular people's livelihoods? Mitchell Hartman reports.
Shares in the insurance conglomerate AIG took another dive amid rumors that the Fed's working on some kind of loan package. Meanwhile, mighty Goldman Sachs reported its biggest quarterly drop since it went public. Amy Scott has the roundup.
The Federal Reserve stumped experts today when it kept interest rates at their current level. After all that's been happening, the safe money was on an interest rate cut. Marketplace's John Dimsdale talks with Kai Ryssdal about the surprising decision.
The Fed has not cut inflation since setting it at 2 percent in April, largely because of inflation fears. But turmoil on Wall Street could persuade Fed members to end that steady streak. Jeremy Hobson reports.
While all eyes were on Wall Street's big financial institutions, the price of oil slipped down to $91 a barrel — a seven-month low. How'd that happen? Host Stacey Vanek-Smith asks economist Andrew Hilton.
