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From This Collection

Banks Are Magic!

Aug 11, 2011
Banks are magic - they create money out of thin air. They do it for their own good, of course. But by helping themselves they're actually helping...

WHITEBOARD: What is a ratings agency, anyway?

Aug 7, 2011
How credit agencies work from Marketplace on Vimeo. Here's how I look at it. Imagine a house, full of medical students, none of whom have a ...

Why the debt ceiling debate is affecting the economy

Jul 27, 2011
If the U.S. economy were an airport, the debt-ceiling debate on Capitol Hill is like a dark cloud causing flight delays, says Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch in his latest Whiteboard video
Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch explains why the debt ceiling debate is affecting the economy much like a storm cloud at the airport
Marketplace

Meet the Maes: Whiteboard explores the Mae family tree

Mar 31, 2011
Paddy Hirsch returns to the Whiteboard to explain the history of the Mae Family Tree. The fate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-spo...

Spotting a double-dip recession

Jan 18, 2011
While fears of a double-dip recession have receded in the U.S. for now, there's still some talk about a double-dip recession striking other markets around the world. Paddy Hirsch explains what a double dip is, and what it might look like.
Whiteboard double dip recession
Marketplace

The ideal explainer

Jan 12, 2011
Tristan Harris of Apture asked me an interesting question yesterday: what makes a good explainer?...

Reader Question: Bonds, yields, and Hershey bars

Dec 9, 2010
A Whiteboard watcher wrote in this week, saying she watched the Whiteboard video on the Fed buying bonds (Uncle Ben Goes Shopping), but still wasn...

For public good, not for profit.

Enlightenment, anyone?

Dec 7, 2010
I love the way good ideas sometimes seem to just float around, waiting to be pulled down and prototyped. I pitched my "explainer archive" to the...

VIDEO: Quantitative Easing Explained

Nov 16, 2010
What does that mean? What does that mean? What does that mean? QE2 explained. Sort of! Created by: Omid Malekan

Uncle Ben goes shopping

Oct 7, 2010
The Federal Reserve is trying to stimulate the economy by buying billions of dollars worth of bonds from banks. Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch explains how that's supposed to work.
The Federal Reserve is trying to stimulate the economy by buying billions dollars of bonds from banks. Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch explains how that's supposed to work.
Marketplace