this program is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. captioning sponsored by wpbt susie: good evening everyone. stocks rallied today on a wave of optimism about the u.s. job market and some encouraging developments about europe s economy. tom, officials in europe are talking about propping up the fragile financial system by pouring money into european banks. tom: and susie, those hopes that the global economy might be recovering also pushed up oil prices. in new york trading, crude futures rose to $79.68 a barrel- - a $4 increase. it s a sharp rebound after months of declines. susie: there are pros and cons to higher oil prices. erika miller takes a closer look at what they mean for consumers and the economy. reporter: oil prices may be up sharply today, but it s important to keep perspective. crude is still within striking distance of lows not seen in over a year. at the pump, gasoline is averaging $3.40 a gallon, a 67- cent drop
susie: good evening everyone. stocks rallied today on a wave of optimism about the u.s. job market and some encouraging developments about europe s economy. tom, officials in europe are talking about propping up the fragile financial system by pouring money into european banks. tom: and susie, those hopes that the global economy might be recovering also pushed up oil prices. in new york trading, crude futures rose to $79.68 a barrel- - a $4 increase. it s a sharp rebound after months of declines. susie: there are pros and cons to higher oil prices. erika miller takes a closer look at what they mean for consumers and the economy. reporter: oil prices may be up sharply today, but it s important to keep perspective. crude is still within striking distance of lows not seen in over a year. at the pump, gasoline is averaging $3.40 a gallon, a 67- cent drop in the past 12 months- - which is nearly 25%. trader ray carbone says for months now energy prices have been taking the
nightly business report is made possible by: this program is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by wpbt tom: good evening and thanks for joining us. ben bernanke delivered a grim assessment on the u.s. economy today. speaking to lawmakers on capitol hill today, sluggish and slow were two words he used to describe economic conditions. susie: the federal reserve chairman promised that the central bank will be ready to act, if necessary. but he called on congress to do its part to help the economy, specifically coming up with a long-term deficit reduction plan. tom: bernanke admitted u.s. policy makers face tough economic choices, but added those choices cannot be postponed. darren gersh reports. reporter: the key part of federal reserve chairman ben bernanke s message today came when he was asked about the impact of operation twist, the fed s program to bring down long-term interest rates.
this program is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. captioning sponsored by wpbt susie: good evening everyone. stocks rallied today on a wave of optimism about the u.s. job market and some encouraging developments about europe s economy. tom, officials in europe are talking about propping up the fragile financial system by pouring money into european banks. tom: and susie, those hopes that the global economy might be recovering also pushed up oil prices. in new york trading, crude futures rose to $79.68 a barrel- - a $4 increase. it s a sharp rebound after months of declines. susie: there are pros and cons to higher oil prices. erika miller takes a closer look at what they mean for consumers and the economy. reporter: oil prices may be up sharply today, but it s important to keep perspective. crude is still within striking distance of lows not seen in over a year. at the pump, gasoline is averaging $3.40 a gallon, a 67- cent drop
station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by wpbt tom: good evening and thanks for joining us. ben bernanke delivered a grim assessment on the u.s. economy today. speaking to lawmakers on capitol hill today, sluggish and slow were two words he used to describe economic conditions. susie: the federal reserve chairman promised that the central bank will be ready to act, if necessary. but he called on congress to do its part to help the economy, specifically coming up with a long-term deficit reduction plan. tom: bernanke admitted u.s. policy makers face tough economic choices, but added those choices cannot be postponed. darren gersh reports. reporter: the key part of federal reserve chairman ben bernanke s message today came when he was asked about the impact of operation twist, the fed s program to bring down long-term interest rates. i think it ll help somewhat on job creation and growth. it ll be particularly important now that the econo