Thursday, July 24, 2008
In this show. . .
Home sales drop more than expected
The housing industry continued its tumble in June with a worse-than-expected 2.5 percent drop in existing home sales. Amy Scott reports.
Ford shifting to smaller cars
After posting a record second-quarter loss of $8.7 billion, Ford has announced plans to create more small car models. John Dimsdale reports.
Southwest's hedging luck might be up
Southwest Airlines' secret to success has been hedging fuel when prices were lower. But how much longer can the airline keep up its winning streak? Dan Grech reports.
How will the world see China?
China is continuing to prepare itself for the global spotlight. Host Kai Ryssdal asks Joshua Ramo, author of "Brand China," how the Olympics may change the way the world's impression of the country.
Companies quiet about DSL sans phone
Want a high-speed DSL connection without the landline phone service? It's available, but don't expect the phone company to advertise it. Katie Macpherson reports.
Oil spill halts Mississippi River traffic
An oil spill has brought commercial traffic in the Mississippi River to a halt. Host Kai Ryssdal talks with the Coast Guard's Brendan Brewer about the cleanup effort.
Cheaper gas, but not cheap enough
Money for gas accounts for a painfully high proportion of some people's paychecks, especially in the rural South, like Wilcox County, Alabama. Tanya Ott reports on how some folks there are barely getting by.
So... what exactly do you do again?
Anyone ever tell you your job is a joke? Professor and commentator Dan Drezner hears it all the time, especially from his little brother, Jay.
Kai Ryssdal's Final Note ...
This final note before we go: I wanted to let you know the Commodities Futures Trading Commission is serious about cracking down on speculation in the oil markets.Today, the CFTC accused a Dutch trading firm and some of its executives of conspiring to manipulate energy futures contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange about a year and a half ago.
Whether or not they did it will be up to a jury to decide of course, but if they did, they weren't very good at it. The CFTC's complaint says the firm, Optiver Holding -- they're based in Amsterdam -- tried to manipulate crude prices 19 times.
They were only able to make it work 5 times. Twice prices went up. Three times the prices actually went down.
Marketplace datebook for Friday, July 25, 2008
- The Commerce Department reports on durable goods orders and new home sales for June.
- The House Financial Services Committee talks with lenders and consumer advocates about helping people modify their home loans.
- And it's a day to thank those folks who protect you from viruses, keeps you networked and make sure you get your email. Tomorrow is System Administrator Appreciation Day.
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Music From This Show
Marketplace Confessional
"What a hilarious little "news" snippet: 'If we ignore volatile food and energy prices.' I want a job like that, where I can "ignore" inconvenient information. Ignoring the sick, there are no health-related issues in America. Ignoring the poor, you'll find most people are doing fine, financially. Other than the volatile stocks that declined in value, the markets did remarkably well yesterday. . . . So, other than food and fuel there is no inflation. Well, health care is out of control. OK, college costs are nuts. Other than those things which are increasing in cost, you will find that prices are staying the same, or actually decreasing. Who says economists have no sense of humor?"
Your Host
Kai Ryssdal took the reins as host of Marketplace in August 2005 after hosting the Marketplace Morning Report for more than four years. Before joining Marketplace, Kai was … Full bio
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