As lending tightens, short-term loans on which all kinds of businesses rely become less available. This has huge negative potential, because if the gears of commerce get stuck, growth slows and layoffs follow as companies trim costs.
Great Depression 2.0: Tracing the Meltdown
The housing bubble burst. Wall Street collapsed. Now the aftershocks are radiating throughout Main Street. TIME explores how this initially insular financial crisis went national.
From Wall Street to Main Street