The Money Meltdown

Capitalizing on the crisis.

Matt — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:37:15 +0000

Former (and perhaps future) Treasury Secretary Larry Summers argues that the U.S. government should take this crisis as an opportunity to do lasting good.

Why Americans have been living beyond their means.

Matt — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:31:51 +0000

Robert Reich says the past decade of debt accumulation on Main Street is largely due to stagnating incomes.

What to do when economic growth resumes.

Matt — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:18:26 +0000

Running deficits during economic slowdowns is wise, says Mark Thoma, as long as we plan to pay for them when the next boom comes around.

The investment and regulation that is needed.

Matt — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:12:08 +0000

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers gives high-level recommendations for the actions the U.S. government should take once the immediate triage is over.

Take a walk down Bank Street.

Matt — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:04:29 +0000

The Financial Times offers a visual look at the recent history of financial firm closings, bailouts, expansions and makeovers.

What went wrong with capitalism, and (more importantly) what didn’t.

Matt — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:59:05 +0000

The Economist argues in defense of capitalism, despite all its flaws.

How collateralized debt obligations are like ancient wooden sticks.

Matt — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:57:44 +0000

John Dyson tells the story of the really early days of commodities securitization.

A gallery of Economist covers illustrating the meltdown.

Matt — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:02:05 +0000

A funny, visual look at the crisis.

The financial crisis in one picture.

Matt — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:02:30 +0000

Robin: “Er, actually, it didn’t make sense to me at first. But I think I get it now.”

An excellent, timely overview of the state of the crisis.

Matt — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:56:56 +0000

Updated as conditions change.

Ideas for a second fiscal stimulus package.

Matt — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:11:28 +0000

There’s talk afoot in Washington of a new economic stimulus package for Main Street. The Brookings Institute has some suggestions.

The upside of the downturn.

Matt — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:02:16 +0000

Nick Kristof walks through all the ways the financial crisis might be good for your health.

Ten blogs to read during the banking crisis.

Matt — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:58:07 +0000

In addition to this one, of course.

Tyler Cowen cogently lays out three factors that enabled the meltdown.

Matt — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 22:53:50 +0000

Yet Another Crisis Explainer, but a quick read on the failures from a very high level.

The New York Times series about the causes behind the crisis.

Matt — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:48:39 +0000

All the stories in this series are extraordinarily well-done, getting at the myriad factors that led to this moment.

A must-read on the regulatory failures that led to the crash.

Matt — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:51:36 +0000

After the This American Life episode, this is the best resource yet for understanding the crisis.

A map of U.S. states hardest-hit by the crisis.

Matt — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:02:30 +0000

The 50 states are scored for how well they’re faring with employment, foreclosures, growth and personal income.

Lifehacker: Batten down your hatches for the financiapocalyse.

Matt — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:59:39 +0000

“Smart financial and career moves you can make in the coming months to prep yourself for the times ahead.”

Don’t watch the Dow: a primer on the “TED Spread.”

Matt — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:38:50 +0000

Slate’s The Big Money explains the number that really tracks the credit crunch.

Stories about the crisis from across America.

Matt — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:37:28 +0000

American Public Media’s Marketplace goes on the road for first-person reports on the country’s financial health.

The party’s over for Iceland, the island that tried to buy the world.

Matt — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:35:03 +0000

“Almost overnight, its population became the wealthiest on Earth. Tracy McVeigh in Reykjavik finds that the credit crunch is making the cash disappear.”

Why panic is rational when there are so many unknowns.

Matt — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:37:51 +0000

“The problem, however, was that the [housing] bubble inflated inside both the old regulatory system and, simultaneously, inside a new financing system that grew up during the Bush Administration outside of all government scrutiny.”

10 steps to recovery.

Matt — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:33:55 +0000

Nouriel Roubini, widely hailed as having predicted the current crisis, explains his opinion of the way out.

The NYT Mag profile of the man who predicted the crisis.

Matt — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:04:17 +0000

“This might be the beginning of the end of the American empire.”

The cognitive errors that made this crisis possible.

Matt — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:32:43 +0000

Megan McArdle gives an overview of some of the psychological factors that allowed the crisis to get this bad.