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Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, March 23, 2012
Mar 23, 2012

Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, March 23, 2012

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Private investors are buying up foreclosed properties by the bushel and renting them out at a profit. Speaking of bushels, the warm weather is tempting some farmers to start planting -- but if you plant too early, you won’t get federal crop insurance if something goes wrong. And tax day is just three weeks away. Why is it that so many people want tax reform, but that it just hasn't happened yet?

 

Segments From this episode

FDA weighing ban on chemical BPA

Mar 23, 2012
By the end of the month, the Federal Drug Administration needs to decide whether to ban BPA in food and drink containers. Bisphenol A makes plastic more pliable, but some scientists say it may have adverse effects on human health.

Massachusetts movie theater offers free admission

Mar 23, 2012
Movies like "Hunger Games" bring in hundreds of millions of dollars at the gate. But one Massachusetts theater survives without admission fees.

Why tax reform still hasn't come to America

Mar 23, 2012
While you're trying to determine what happens when you subtract line 35 from line 43 on your tax form, you might ask: Why is this so complicated?

U.S. picks a nominee for head of the World Bank

Mar 23, 2012
President Obama has announced his choice for the U.S. nominee to lead the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim. Judging from history, Kim is likely to win the role.

Investors turning foreclosed homes into rentals

Mar 23, 2012
According to Bloomberg Markets Magazine, private investors are buying up foreclosed properties by the bushel and renting them out at a profit.

Gold speculation on the decline

Mar 23, 2012
Ever since the housing crash, investors have been pouring money into gold, and the price has more than doubled. But now, investors are starting to shy away.

Worries about China have markets on alert

Mar 23, 2012
China appears to be on the verge of an economic slowdown, and that has investors around the globe concerned.

Farmers may plant corn, soybeans a few weeks early

Mar 23, 2012
Some farmers in the Midwest are planting crops earlier than usual because of hot weather. But there's a risk of losing it all if a spring freeze hits.

PODCAST: Insider trading bill passes, World Water Day app

Mar 23, 2012
Private investors are buying up foreclosed properties by the bushel and renting them out at a profit. Speaking of bushels, the warm weather is tempting some farmers to start planting -- but if you plant too early, you won’t get federal crop insurance if something goes wrong. And tax day is just three weeks away. Why is it that so many people want tax reform, but that it just hasn't happened yet?
U.S. President Barack Obama signs the payroll tax bill in the Oval Office December 23, 2011 in Washington, D.C. He has said he will also sign off on the new inside trading bill passed in Congress.
Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images

British government plans for minimum price on alcohol

Mar 23, 2012
The British government has announced today that it wants to set a minimum price on beer, wine, and spirits. It hopes the move will help prevent alcohol-related crimes and deaths in the country.

Congress agrees on insider trading ban... for themselves

Mar 23, 2012
Washington leaders have passed a bill that bans members of Congress from trading stocks based on non-public information, and President Obama says he will sign it.

BofA launching program for at-risk homeowners

Mar 23, 2012
Bank of America is launching a pilot program where homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure would hand over the deed to their house and then rent it back from the bank.
A representative from Bank of America meets with homeowners to discuss mortgage modifications at a workshop on August 25, 2011 in New York City. The bank is launching a pilot program to help homeowners who could foreclose soon.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Labor Dept. releases first ever tally of U.S. green jobs

Mar 23, 2012
In 2010 there were 3 million green jobs -- about 2 percent of total employment. Should we soon expect green jobs to start making up a greater percentage of the total jobs in the U.S.?
Giant wind turbines are powered by strong prevailing winds near Palm Springs, Calif. Though the state is known for its green jobs, percentage-wise it is equivalent to many others.
David McNew/Getty Images

Who will be the new head of the World Bank?

Mar 23, 2012
The head of the World Bank has always been an American, and typically, a white male, banker, diplomat type -- but this time might be different.

Private investors are buying up foreclosed properties by the bushel and renting them out at a profit. Speaking of bushels, the warm weather is tempting some farmers to start planting — but if you plant too early, you won’t get federal crop insurance if something goes wrong. And tax day is just three weeks away. Why is it that so many people want tax reform, but that it just hasn’t happened yet?