We fell short of our Fall Fundraiser goal of 2,500 donations. Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now
By The Numbers

The euro drops to a nine-year low

Tony Wagner Jan 5, 2015
$1.1918

The Euro fell to a nine-year low Monday morning, sinking to $1.1861 against the dollar before recovering to $1.1918. As the WSJ reports, the drop in value has a lot to do with Greek politics and expectations that the European Central Bank will amp up its stimulus program.

50 percent

Perspective employers were that much more likely to call back applicants with stereotypically white names than black names, even if their resumes were statistically identical. The author of that study, writing in the Upshot, cites other similar experiments and blames a subliminal, knee-jerk racial bias that contradicts conscious efforts to be more inclusive.

7 weeks

That’s how long polar bear season lasts in Churchill, Manitoba. It’s an important annual tourist attraction for the small town of 800  many residents make a large portion of their income off of visitors coming to see the polar bears. But with global warming endangering the polar bear population, many Manitobans worry that their main source of revenue will disappear with the animals.

71 percent

The portion of New Year’s resolutions that are abandoned after two weeks, FiveThirtyEight reported. The site breaks down that sobering statistic for the most common resolutions.

$11 billion

That’s how much was spent last year on residential construction in New York City, an amount which nearly returns to pre-recession highs when accounting for inflation. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to cheaper housing, because much of that spending is going into lux apartment buildings meant for the super rich.

January 2000

The month AOL made its disastrous purchase of Time Warner, sealing its fate for good. Facebook is on a remarkably similar course as AOL, the Verge notes, in a tech landscape that looks remarkably similar to the 1990s.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.