Summary: Amid a yearlong financial crisis, billions of dollars of government bailout spending, and slumping consumer confidence, President-elect Barack Obama is now tasked with figuring out what can be done to rescue the U.S. economy. Experts say the financial services and mortgage sector is the place to begin repairs, as credit markets are drivers of the overall economy and sources of lending for all businesses.

Summary: Stocks continued a downward slide throughout November, even hitting their lowest levels since 2002, as investors expressed panic over the fundamentals of the U.S. economy. Analysts say the continuing worries on Wall Street are owed to rising jobless claims, talks of automaker bankruptcies, and waning confidence in government-proposed solutions to the credit crisis.

Summary: Ripple effects from the U.S. banking crisis are shaking up General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, as the famed "Big Three" automakers find themselves teetering on bankruptcy and pleading for a government bailout. Should taxpayers throw billions at another ailing business sector, or does bankruptcy offer the better way forward for the auto industry?

Summary: After reaching a record high price of $147.27 per barrel in July 2008, oil prices plummeted 63 percent and traded lower than $54 per barrel in late November. Although drivers are relieved to see gas prices sink to under $2 per gallon at the pump, analysts worry that the lower energy prices are indicative of a worldwide economic slowdown that has paralyzed development and produced large oil supply surpluses.

Summary: In mid-November, presidents and prime ministers from Group of 20 countries (The G-20) met in the first of a series of meetings to identify causes of the world economic crisis and to suggest plans for stimulating global economies. Early proposals ranged from interest rate cuts by central banks to economic stimulus packages.