Archive for November, 2008

Costa Rican consumers have greatly overused their credit cards, especially in the last year.

You would have to be living under a rock to have missed this today, so here is a newsflash for all you subterranian dwellers.

The drumbeat of bad economic news continues, and policymakers keep coming up with big-money strategies to arrest the damage.

One of the things I am deeply grateful for this Thanksgiving season is that my father was a frugal guy and made a big deal out of it.

Government Vows $800 Billion for Credit Markets in Fresh Salvo on Recession; Could Aid Students, Car Buyers, Small Businesses U.S. officials pledged to pump another $800 billion into ailing credit markets, much …

The federal government’s $200 billion plan to prop up consumer lending is likely to come with strings banks won’t like: new regulations curtailing predatory lending practices.

As every sector of the American economy lines up to sit on Congress’ lap and ask for an early Christmas present, things aren’t looking so good for American consumers.

If you’re buying a home, refinancing a mortgage or seeking an auto or student loan, the new government plans to make borrowing cheaper and easier sound like a gift.

The Bush administration had to strive mightily to win congressional approval of a $700 billion rescue package for the financial system. Now, with no muss and no fuss, the Federal Reserve has announced an even bigger program totaling $800 billion.

What gives Ben Bernanke and his colleagues such power _ and what are the consequences of the Fed’s actions?

Here is a look at the Fed’s powers and how they are being used to deal with the most serious financial crisis in more than seven decades.