Investigations: Fed's Once-Pristine Balance Sheet Now Loaded With Junk

So is the $700-billion financial bailout in the U.S. going to work? Or is it just transferring risk from private hands that bunged it up to the public and endangering the government's own finances? This Financial Week item shows that under the stewardship of Ben Bernanke, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board's balance sheet, pristine and virtually risk-free just six months ago, now consists of a huge portion of troubled assets. While U.S. government treasuries accounted for 91 percent of the Fed's mix of reserve assets six months ago, today 48 percent consists of riskier holdings.

TAGS: markets, Bernanke

Interesting: $700B Financial Bailout Blows Away Past Relief Efforts

How does the proposed $700-billion bailout of U.S. financial players compare to past relief efforts? A ProPublica analysis shows it blows them all away, including the $300-billion savings-and-loan imbroglio. See the table and graphic here.

TAGS: markets

CAR Resources from Lillehammer Global Investigative Journalism Conference

Oslo-based journalist Kristine Lowe posts links to a host of useful Computer-Assisted Reporting resources from the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Lillehammer in this item on her blog, which is full of other interesting posts and resources.

TAGS: resources