How many stories have you read that talk about toxic assets? To get up close and personal with the concept and therefore be better able to explain it to their audience, two NPR Planet Money reporters bought their own toxic asset. It is a bond consisting of home mortgages — of which only 30 percent of the [...]
With U.S. stock markets continuing to creep upward, pundits are trotting out bullish forecasts and recommendations, such as this one from MarketWatch.
A lot of the buying is being driven by some better-than-expected fourth-quarter corporate profits and upbeat 2010 outlooks by companies ranging from Target to John Deere. We know how fast all of that can [...]
The Los Angeles Times gives readers a good primer on how exchanges are set up with its story about two companies creating box-office futures exchanges “that would allow Hollywood studios and others to hedge against the box-office performance of movies.”
The story includes a basic graphic illustrating how the system would work. Writers Nathaniel Popper and [...]
As of Monday, March 15, readers have exactly one month to get their 2009 income tax returns filed.
Or at least, they have one month to file an extension request,which is automatically granted and buys them another six months to finally get that financial file organized. (Just remember to remind your audience that they still are required [...]
Tax credits. Loan modifications. Deed-for-lease. Short-sale incentives.
It’s getting difficult to keep track of government programs aimed at propping up the frail home buying and selling markets.
And we’re paid to do so. Imagine the confusion among shoppers and sellers facing foreclosure or ready to dip a toe into spring’s residential real estate season.
My suggestion: a graphics-driven [...]
Tami Luhby of CNNMoney.com profiled a role model for President Obama’s plan to save homeowners facing foreclosure.
Luhby writes:
“The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency offers the jobless and those suffering financial hardship loans of up to $60,000 for as long as three years to cover their monthly payments or take care of their arrears. Created in 1983, [...]
Hard to believe that most of us in the United States will spring our clocks forward on March 14.
(Or, if you’re like me, you’ll shove one timepiece into EDT and get around to the rest sometime before the Kentucky Derby.)
Either way, it seems as though we were just luxuriating in that extra hour of sleep [...]
Kathy Tulumello, business center director at the Arizona Republic, announced this week that she will be looking for two business journalists to fill the shoes of “two talented reporters” who are heading to new jobs, both in New York City.
Andrew Johnson has accepted a position as a technology reporter at American Banker in New [...]
You think Toyotas with rogue throttles are scary?
Try Pringles with salmonella.
Over the past few days news of another possibly widespread food recall has broken, and your readers will be wondering how it affects them. While you’re at it, you might want to develop a broader piece on food inspection, retail and restaurant inspection and other [...]
