Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Countrywide and, most recently, MF Global, were all considered "primary dealers" by the Federal Reserve — and they also all failed. So why were they considered so important, and how did they all get in trouble?
The price of crude oil has jumped to more than $100 a barrel. Many analyst blame "speculators." But it turns out, these days "speculators" are often pensions and mutual funds, not just traditional traders.
Consumer sentiment and spending numbers have been inching higher in the last few weeks. But the ongoing high price of oil could put a cap on that growth.
Amid the uproar over Italy's rising borrowing costs, some forget that the country managed to pay even higher interest rates on a heavy debt burden back in the 1990s.
