Economy

Wall Street's worst-ever week was part of a global stock market meltdown that could signal a far more devastating stage of the financial crisis. October 11, 2008

The financial disaster shaking the world today is the result of a free-market system that protects the wealth of a few, while the rest of us pay the price. October 10, 2008

The bankers in Chicago are angry with--of all people--the county sheriff, who is refusing to forcibly remove residents from foreclosed properties. October 10, 2008

SocialistWorker.org takes a graphical look at how Washington's bailout for Wall Street could be used to help working people. October 10, 2008

For a generation, the financial consultants and policymakers intoned a mantra celebrating the majesty of the free market. October 8, 2008

World stock markets greeted Congress' passage of the so-called Troubled Assets Relief Program with an international meltdown. October 7, 2008

For everyone who can't make heads or tails of the media's account, SocialistWorker.org explains the causes and consequences of the financial crisis. October 6, 2008

Economists may be quibbling over whether a recession has officially begun, but the standard of living for workers has already taken a deep cut. October 3, 2008

A health care activist describes how she was treated when she called her congressional representatives to ask for a "no" vote on the Wall Street bailout. October 1, 2008

SocialistWorker.org answers your questions about the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression--and what U.S. political leaders are doing in response. September 24, 2008

Deregulation caused the financial chaos that is hammering an already slumping world economy--and both Democrats and Republicans are to blame. September 18, 2008

The politicians have little to say about the fast-talking mortgage companies that dumped sub-prime mortgage loans on inexperienced borrowers. September 15, 2008

The expectation of rising living standards for each generation of U.S. workers has given way to a low-wage economy where it's a struggle to get by. September 12, 2008

While the mortgage meltdown is making headlines, renters are being priced out of affordable housing, too, especially in cities like New York. September 12, 2008

The government bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost tens of billions of dollars--and taxpayers will be the ones to pay. September 9, 2008

It's hard to grasp the immensity of ExxonMobil's profits for the second quarter of this year--the biggest of any corporation in U.S. history. August 15, 2008

Despite the latest statistics showing U.S. economic growth, the figures on jobs and inflation reflect an economy that's still on the decline a year after the financial crisis began. August 7, 2008

The media reported that the collapse of the Doha Round of trade negotiations is a big failure for the world’s poor countries. But is this true? August 5, 2008

The failure of IndyMac Bank was the latest sign that the U.S. financial system remains on wobbly legs--and there's more trouble ahead at other banks. July 24, 2008

There are enough vacant homes in the U.S. to provide shelter for nearly half the world's homeless population. But for capitalism, that's bad news. July 22, 2008

The emergency government intervention to support mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is the latest sign of a deepening world financial crisis. July 16, 2008

Outside a food pantry in Chicago, almost anyone you talk to is working, or just lost their job, or is retired and trying to make ends meet. July 11, 2008

Workers are enduring a sharp cut in living standards caused by rising food and gas prices--while a credit crunch, caused by the housing crisis, drags on. July 3, 2008

Housing prices are falling even more rapidly while politicians benefit from a cozy relationship with the mortgage industry they plan to bail out. June 27, 2008

As many as 3,000 people lined up outside a welfare office on the false rumor that emergency food vouchers would be distributed to those in need. June 26, 2008

The sensationalism of food riots and people taking to the streets has people talking about something that has been impacting nearly half of humanity. June 26, 2008

The Economist called the world food crisis a "silent tsunami," but it is not a natural disaster, and there's nothing silent about the response to it. June 25, 2008

By virtually every measure--wages, conditions, debt, unemployment and more--young working people are less well off today than preceding generations. June 18, 2008

The government's preferred measure of inflation remains fairly low--because the statistics-keepers don't count the prices of certain goods. June 13, 2008

With food prices climbing higher with every passing week, more and more poor and working-class families are finding it difficult to put food on the table. June 12, 2008

At the UN food summit in Rome, the priorities of world leaders were on display--and they didn't include alleviating the suffering of the hungry. June 11, 2008

The stock market plunged on July 6 on a double-barreled blast of bad news--a record increase in oil prices and a sharp rise in the unemployment rate. June 9, 2008

The global crisis caused by increasing food prices is shining a spotlight on the terrible contradiction of a world of plenty where hundreds of millions go hungry. May 23, 2008

Next time you hear Wall Street experts say the economy isn't doing too badly after all, check your wallet--where you'll find a good deal less cash. May 22, 2008

One little-discussed factor in the global food crisis is speculators driving up the price of all commodities because of intense trading on futures markets. May 19, 2008

Can the Federal Reserve Bank save the U.S. economy? That's the hope and prayer of growing numbers of Wall Street executives. March 28, 2008

For working families, a skyrocketing grocery bill is one of the most ever-present reminders that they have been making do with less. March 21, 2008

The depths of the crisis in the world financial system were revealed in the wake of the collapse of the investment bank Bear Stearns. March 21, 2008

When you drive around Providence, R.I., there are "for sale" signs and boarded-up homes everywhere. March 14, 2008

Why is the government failing to push for the most aggressive solutions to help homeowners facing the threat of foreclosure? March 14, 2008

The foreclosure crisis in Stockton, Calif., is only the latest chapter in the roller-coaster ride the city has been through over the past decade. March 7, 2008

For a growing number of workers, being unemployed means being unemployed for a very long time--and a desperate struggle to get by. February 22, 2008

Home foreclosures hit record levels in 2007--and there's a lot worse to come. That's the view of both homeowners' advocates and Wall Street firms. February 8, 2008

The wild swings on stock markets worldwide are highlighting fears that a severe recession is around the corner--if not already here. February 1, 2008

The mortgage crisis is now dominating the headlines, but the underlying question remains: Who will help people at risk of losing their homes? February 1, 2008

Financial markets plunged in the U.S. and around the world in an abject rejection of Bush's plan for an economic stimulus package. January 25, 2008

While the ranks of the unemployed grow, fired Wall Street CEOs got paid millions more on their way out the door. January 18, 2008