financial crisis

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Cash-Poor NYT Seeks $225M Deal for Building

Tight credit market, falling profits hurt paper

(Newser) - Facing declining profits and tight credit, the New York Times is looking to raise $225 million by borrowing against the 58% share the company holds in its new Renzo Piano-designed skyscraper in Times Square, the paper reports. The Times hopes to either take out a mortgage on the 52-story building...

Calls Build for GM's Wagoner to 'Move On'

Dodd, Obama hint a change at the top is in order to get bailout

(Newser) - Sen. Chris Dodd wants General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner “to move on” and a new management team in place if a government bailout is going to move forward, reports the Wall Street Journal. While not making it an outright condition for a rescue package, the Connecticut Democrat told CBS’...

Dollar's Long Rally Likely to Stall in 2009
Dollar's Long Rally Likely
to Stall in 2009
ANALYSIS
Dec 8, 2008 5:28 AM CST

Dollar's Long Rally Likely to Stall in 2009

Recession, low interest rates will catch up with buoyant greenback

(Newser) - The once moribund dollar has soared 20% against foreign currencies since July, one of the few bright spots in a grim financial landscape. The dollar traded against the euro at $1.28 this morning, down from a high of over $1.60 this summer. But the dollar's rally is expected...

Merrill Boss Seeks $10M Bonus

Directors unlikely to comply given public sentiment

(Newser) - Merrill Lynch narrowly escaped extinction this fall, and CEO John Thain is seeking an end-of-year bonus of as much as $10 million for keeping the company alive, reports the Wall Street Journal. Merrill's board of directors—acutely aware of public scrutiny—appear unlikely to fork over that kind of package...

Obama Should Beware 'Best and Brightest'
Obama Should Beware 'Best and Brightest'
OPINION
Dec 7, 2008 1:18 PM CST

Obama Should Beware 'Best and Brightest'

A la JFK's Cabinet, too often masks poor judgment, inexperience

(Newser) - Barack Obama has won praise for appointing “the best and the brightest” to his Cabinet during a time of war and economic hardship. But all the back-patting sounds a little too familiar, Frank Rich writes in the New York Times. “The stewards of the Vietnam fiasco had pedigrees...

As Economy Tanks, Will Plastic Fade?

Debit, layaways tempt as consumers watch wallets

(Newser) - Will today’s wallet-watching leave a permanent dent in America’s beloved plastic? Likely to write off $45 billion this year, with billions more at stake, credit-card lenders are tightening rules and raising fees, the New York Times reports. “People are going to have to live within their means,...

Laid-Off Workers Stuck With Mega-Medical Bills

Abrupt loss of coverage leaves massive bills behind

(Newser) - As firms collapse and abruptly cut off insurance, some laid-off workers face staggering medical bills without any clear way to pay for them, the Wall Street Journal reports. In many cases, workers rush to take care of medical needs upon hearing their employers are going under, only to find those...

Xmas Cards Reflect Country's Somber Mood

Glitzy cards picturing holiday excess are out; simple and traditional is in

(Newser) - Greeting card companies have noticed a big shift in what Americans want from their season’s greetings this year, the Wall Street Journal reports. As economic worries mount, glitzy holiday cards have fallen out of favor fast. Designers have made this year's cards more traditional, deepening reds and greens and...

The Rich Get Poorer
 The Rich Get Poorer

GLOSSIES
Dec 6, 2008 2:36 AM CST

The Rich Get Poorer

Richest are abandoning homes, jewels ... and some are even broke

(Newser) - Before Wall Street's woes reached Main Street they pillaged Fifth Avenue, the Upper East Side, and the Hamptons, upending the culture of Rich America in the process. Manhattan bankers—some of whom went from multi-millionaires to debtors—are offloading Central Park apartments, high-end art, and private helicopters in a dizzying...

Chrysler Hires Bankruptcy Firm
 Chrysler Hires Bankruptcy Firm 
Dec 5, 2008 3:00 PM CST

Chrysler Hires Bankruptcy Firm

Privately owned automaker preparing for Chapter 11 should feds not help out

(Newser) - Chrysler has contracted a law firm to help it prepare for bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reports. The hiring of Jones Day suggests the automaker faces immediate failure if Congress decides to deny financial assistance to Detroit automakers. Jones Day has experience in automotive matters and has represented the United...

Bird Shelters Overrun as Foreclosures Take Toll

Exotic animals not always welcome, and require special care

(Newser) - The US foreclosure epidemic, hard on all kinds of pets, appears particularly devastating for exotic birds, Reuters reports. People forced to vacate their homes are finding that cockatiels, macaws, and the like won’t fly at their new digs. Shelters for cats and dogs aren’t equipped to handle the...

AT&T Layoffs Just the Beginning of Telecom Pain

Reduced consumer spending will result in cycles of layoffs and decreased capital expenditure

(Newser) - AT&T’s elimination of 12,000 jobs is just the beginning of cutbacks that will radiate throughout the telecom industry, BusinessWeek reports. As pinched consumers cut back on communication spending, job and capital-expenditure reductions will only continue. One surprising statistic shows how consumers are downsizing telecom budgets: The fastest-growing...

US Jobs Picture Even Worse Than It Looks
 US Jobs Picture
 Even Worse Than It Looks 
ANALYSIS
Dec 5, 2008 1:45 PM CST

US Jobs Picture Even Worse Than It Looks

6.7% unemployment figure doesn't count those not working or looking for work

(Newser) - As bad as today’s jobs report seemed, it actually soft-pedals the US employment situation, David Leonhardt writes in the New York Times. In November, 251,000 workers lost their jobs, driving the unemployment rate to 6.7%. But “unemployed” describes only individuals actively looking for work, and the...

Honda Cuts F1 Racing Team
 Honda Cuts F1 Racing Team 
Dec 5, 2008 11:32 AM CST

Honda Cuts F1 Racing Team

Attempting to cut costs, Japan's No. 2 carmaker axes racing program

(Newser) - Honda, facing economic drag as the financial crisis sharply curtails demand for automobiles, is withdrawing from Formula 1 racing, at least until global markets turn the corner, the Guardian reports. Honda's CEO once pledged to spend “a trillion yen” to secure an F1 title, but shareholders have pressured the...

Barney Frank: At the Center of the Storm

Mass. congressman "vilified," but sticks to his guns

(Newser) - At the center of Washington’s financial crisis, Barney Frank has been called a “left-wing zealot”—but the congressman, while he’s admitted mistakes, has long been canny and courageous in his positions, writes Maureen Tkacik in Boston magazine. Amid much talk of the “moral hazards” in...

Dems: Obama Must Take Charge of Economy Now

There's no time to waste, pols warn

(Newser) - Top Democrats are becoming increasingly frustrated with Barack Obama's reluctance to take charge of the economic crises,  AP reports. The president-elect has consistently said it would be premature for him to dictate solutions to the auto industry's woes, and steer $700 billion in bailout funds, but critics in his...

Bernanke Plugs More Help for US Homeowners

Fed chief outlines ideas for public, private sector to slow foreclosures

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke says more must be done to halt record US home-foreclosure rates, the New York Times reports. The Federal Reserve chief suggested several options today, including the government buying bad mortgages en masse and refinancing them through a government-insured program, and strengthening a scheme aimed at lowering homeowners’ monthly...

Dow Loses 215 on Job Cuts
 Dow Loses 215 on Job Cuts 
MARKETS
Dec 4, 2008 3:16 PM CST

Dow Loses 215 on Job Cuts

Retailers miss estimates as consumer rein in spending

(Newser) - The markets lost value today amid data that unemployment is growing, and poor sales reports from retailers, MarketWatch reports. Traders are bracing for the worst ahead of the November jobs report, due tomorrow. The Dow fell 215.45, closing at 8,376.24. The Nasdaq dropped 46.82 to settle...

Geithner Wants to Oust FDIC Chief Bair

'Independent actor' in crisis worries Obama's Treasury nominee

(Newser) - If Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner has his way, Barack Obama will show FDIC chief Sheila Bair the door, Bloomberg reports. Geithner, who has battled Bair over emergency measures like the Citigroup rescue, says she isn’t a team player, and is concerned more with her agency than the broader economy....

Spitzer: Banks Are Too Big, Let Them Fail
Spitzer: Banks Are Too Big,
Let Them Fail
OPINION
Dec 4, 2008 11:02 AM CST

Spitzer: Banks Are Too Big, Let Them Fail

Instead, back smaller entities, ex-gov says in first Slate column

(Newser) - The government has doled out trillions in rescue funds, but “so far, we are simply rebuilding the same edifice that just collapsed,” writes newly-minted Slate columnist Eliot Spitzer. For years we’ve concentrated capital, creating gigantic “financial supermarkets” that attempted to provide every service for their customers....

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