In an effort to keep Citigroup, Inc (NYSE: C 3.77 11/21/08) afloat, the US government announced a plan to make available guarantees on over $300 billion of troubled mortgages and other assets after a week were Citibank lost more then 60% of its value.
�
Breakdown: The plan
·         $20 billion cash infusion via Treasury Dept
·         [...]

CNBC has been keeping track of the total dollars spent so far on the Financial Crisis that we are seeing.
That total is, $4.28 trillion. �
The post, Financial Crisis Tab Already In The Trillions, says “… that number is more than what was spent on WW II, if adjusted for inflation, based on computations from a variety [...]

Retail sales turn downward to the tune of 1.2% in September, taking the DOW with it, slipping another 733 points for 8% loss at 8,577.91. This shows the contained weakness in the market even as more bailout plans are announced world wide.
�
“Economic activity slowed across the country, according to a report from the Federal [...]

This site is about understanding what is going on out there, in our economic world.  We try to highlight the key players at any given point in time.
Sometimes some people do it so well, that you just have to acknowledge them, and step aside.  These would be the minds that shaped, the minds that run [...]

In an amazing step forward for US policy both internally and externally, the Treasury announced it has plans to buy equity in private banks.
That’s right, the federal government will be spending part of the $700 billion bailout bill, to buy equity in private banks across the country. �
Is this better or worse than the previous [...]

Not since the great depression has the federal government had to take such as step as to announce a new lending program which will work by directly lending capital to business.
�
The program will address the commercial paper problem. This will help with short-term funding crucial to many businesses operations.
 

�
Breakdown:

Treasury believes this will prevent disruptions [...]

When I first heard that the Federal Reserve was planning a new program to help encourage business loans, I was wondering … weren’t we told the bailout last week would fix our credit problems?
You may think, “Of course, they are planning on how to use the $700 billion’.  You would be wrong.
The new program is [...]

As reported earlier last week in Who needs a Bailout bill: Federal Reserve bleeds out $410 Billion, even with out the 700 billion dollar bailout bill, the Federal Reserve has been lending out billion’s of dollars to trouble institutions world wide.
The Federal Reserve announced Monday that it will increase the money it makes available to [...]

Bank of Canada has increased the size of there agreements with the Federal Reserve to three times the normal rate. This agreement is an effort to shore up the turbulent credit markets
This agreement should allow the Bank of Canada to have more flexibility to deal with the developments in the global banking crises. This will [...]

According to Bloomberg.com, the Federal government today is pumping another $630 billion into the world financial system. These additional funds don’t get a vote on the house floor. They are at the pure discretion of the Federal Reserve.
�
The breakdown:
·          Currency swaps with foreign central banks up $330 billion to $620 billion
·          Term Auction [...]

If you came home one day to see that your neighbors house was on fire, and he offered to sell you the house at a 20% discount, because the fire department was “on there way” would you think it’s a good deal.
�
“Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke signaled that the government should buy devalued [...]