The owners of small businesses have the same concern many of us do — Is my money safe? But they have the added worry that all of the bad financial news will discourage shopping. Rachel Dornhelm reports.
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.
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.
Mid-tier, regional banks have an opportunity to scoop up some of the business from their failed brethren on Wall Street. Rachel Dornhelm checks in with financial experts on how the public might respond.
