The Housing Crisis has claimed its two largest victims: Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Plans have been announced to place these institutions into conservatorship (I'll get to that in a minute). What follows is

1.) A brief explanation of what Fannie and Freddie do and why they are so...

"Sacre Bleu!" (liberal translation: "Holy Cow!") -- the Wall Street Journal informs us that "Commodity-Market regulators are investigating whether energy market players are injecting false data into the marketplace to influence perceptions about crude oil supply and demand" ("Oil-Supply Data Probed for Manipulation," 09.04.08). That inventory numbers are being...

Starbucks customers ready to order a latte and cinnamon twist noticed a few menu changes this week. At 11,570 U.S. and Canada locations, five wholesomely titled new breakfast items appeared: "perfect oatmeal," "berry stella" pastry, "chewy fruit and nut bar," "multigrain roll," and "apple bran muffin." Select Starbucks even offer...

Until two years ago, I had never given much thought to the millions of people who work from home.

But I began to learn about this rapidly growing army when, in conjunction with my workplace segments on Good Morning America, Diane Sawyer issued me a challenge: Find ways for our...

From the Fed:

Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicate that the pace of economic activity has been slow in most Districts. Many described business conditions as "weak," "soft," or "subdued." Cleveland and St. Louis reported some weakening since their last reports while Boston and New York...

For too long Democrats have been derided as economically clueless tax-and-spenders. No wonder Americans so often vote against their own common interests.

We should know better. And now we do.

Alan S. Blinder, in The New York Times, drew recently (9.30.08) from Unequal Democracy, a new book by...

There's been a lot written lately in the New York area press about how renters can get an edge in the busy summer and fall season. The New York Times even dedicated a Sunday real estate section cover story to what was supposed to be Renting 101. That story,...

Look around you. If you're like me, your life is filled with technology and tools that help you work, live, and play. New devices like iPhones, social networks like Facebook, "breakthrough" pharmaceuticals, and sleek household products are all around us. It seems like innovation in many fields -- from Web...

You won't hear much about gay marriage this week at the Republican convention, but it remains a hotly-contested political issue, particularly in California, where a fall ballot initiative would overturn the state Supreme Court decision giving same-sex couples the right to wed. John McCain supports the ballot Proposition 8...

Every year, Dalbar, Inc., a respected independent market research firm, publishes a study entitled Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior. The study measures the actual performance of stock and bond investors and compares that performance to various benchmarks.

The latest study found that, for the 20 year period ending December 31,...

I am writing this post on a laptop that is no bigger than a bible you find next to a hotel bed. The screen measures 9-inches diagonally and the lilliputian keyboard requires my hands to be almost touching each other as I type. When I leave the New York City...

In a new twist on the role of government a federal appeals court has ruled that the government can force companies to NOT test beef for mad cow disease.

The background is that some smaller meat packers wanted to test every cow, to ensure that citizens are safe from...

While it hasn't gotten much attention, one of the most important issues that our elections this November could decide is the future of organized labor in the United States. This is important not just for the 15.7 million workers who happen to be in unions, but for the vast majority...

Today, it's Labor Day and the moment once a year that America remembers and celebrates our working men and women. But after the picnics end and parades fade, we sometimes forget there are 364 more days to worry about.

For same-sex couples and their families especially, those are the...

Watching media reportage of the advent of Gustav has become a classic example of how the media and the oil patch has herded us into sheeplike panic accepting of most any set of events to rationalize ever egregiously higher oil prices.

Gustav is about to slam through the Gulf coast....