Small business growth is not picking up despite continued efforts from the government. Owners say a lack of demand, and fears of increased taxes are hampering enterprise and expansion.

The book “No One Would Listen – A True Financial Thriller” is a personal story, written in first person by Harry Markopolos, the whistleblower who discovered Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi game, but couldn’t get anyone to listen to him. The Securities and Exchange Commission, funds that handed billions of dollars to Madoff, and the press all ignored Markopolos’ warnings.

Liaquat Ahamed’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Lords of Finance” weaves international exchange rates, foreign reserves and the inter-war period’s “barbarous relic” – gold – together from the vantage point of four men who directed the fates of millions toward the granddaddy of all economic crises: The Great Depression.

In Richard Bookstaber’s 2007 recounting of every major financial crisis since the 1980s, the details are everything.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke Thursday in Chicago. (Charlie Mead/MEDILL)

A year after the Federal Reserve released the results of its bank “stress tests,” Fed Board Chairman Ben Bernanke offered a hopeful, if tepid, economic outlook.

The Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Joint Economic Committee hearing on Wednesday. (AP Photo)

The economy is recovering, just not robustly enough to fuel fast job growth.

With a weak economy and high unemployment rates, startups are important to job creation. In fact, if it weren’t for startups, net job creation would be negative, according to a study by the Kauffman Foundation.

Robert E. Litan, vice president of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation, says:

“While some new companies will undoubtedly [...]

Present-day and next-generation investment industry leaders debated future of funds at the Kellogg School of Management’s private equity and venture capital conference in Chicago, with the conversation returning to value creation.

Image via Jmtimages/Flickr.com

BY KATIE ROGERS – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

When we asked you to grade President Obama’s fiscal strategy so far, an overwhelming number — nearly two-thirds — voted for a grade of “F.” A sample of 39 people isn’t a lot to draw conclusive answers from, but with [...]

Flickr.com/David C. Pearson

BY MEGAN MOLLMANN - MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

The stock market is making gains. Housing sales are showing signs of life. And the Federal Open Market Committee is tweaking its rhetoric, saying “economic activity is leveling out” in a statement Wednesday.

Cautioning that the economy is likely to stay weak for some time, the FOMC kept the