ABC Bets You Can Laugh at Recession

Economy picking up, but not enough that inflation is a worry

(AP) - The Federal Reserve says the recession is easing, but that the economy likely will remain weak and keep a lid on inflation. Against this backdrop, the Fed held a key bank lending rate at a record low of between 0% and 0.25%, and pledged again to keep it there for "an extended period" to help brace activity going forward. More»

"Wealth effect" is playing out in reverse

(NEWSER) - Three factors are playing into the financial crisis, and it's time to recognize the culprit that accompanies the burst housing bubble and banking meltdown, Robert J. Samuelson writes in the Washington Post. The wealth effect—"the tendency of people to adjust their spending as their wealth changes"—is reversing, with Americans scrambling to save in the face of falling stock prices and home values. The consequences could be dire. More»

The economic hole is deep, and 'we're all in it together': Pearlstein

(NEWSER) - If people understood how bad the financial situation is, there would be less hostility toward the bailout, writes Steven Pearlstein in the Washington Post. Americans haven't owned up to having helped create the credit bubble that is now deflating, and Wall Streeters haven't owned up to their "greed, arrogance, and incompetence," either. Because of that standoff, we're all about to see just how deep a hole we are in. More»

(NEWSER) - Voters blame the GOP over Democrats for the Wall Street crisis by a 2-to-1 margin that may be boosting Barack Obama's overall numbers, a new poll says. Nearly half of Americans pinned blame on Republicans while only about a quarter held Democrats responsible. And Obama held a 10-point lead among voters looking for a president who can handle the economy, CNN reports. More»

'Good, clean, old-fashioned banking' is coming back in US markets

(NEWSER) - A new era has arrived on Wall Street, with the big investment firms falling, James Cramer writes in New York, and traditional banks with large deposit bases looking like the smartest option all along. “We’ll see a more chaste culture emerge from all of this, on Wall Street, and perhaps beyond,” he writes. “Caution will be the new daring. Safe will be the new sexy.” More»