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Rose Conlon

Latest from Rose Conlon

  • Mar 14, 2022

    Stocks in China and Hong Kong fall with fresh COVID-19 lockdown worries

    Residents in the tech hub of Shenzhen have been told to stay home while mass testing is carried out.
    STR/AFP via Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: Statistics suggest that the number of COVID-19 cases so far this year in China exceed the total number reported for 2021. But it’s not just the pandemic that’s worrying markets. Plus, America’s largest natural gas producer believes the US can play a much bigger role in providing global energy security. And, for Ukrainians living abroad, fundraising and sending aid to their loved ones in a war zone isn’t easy.

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  • Mar 11, 2022

    Let’s compare central bank notes about the U.S., Europe

    Let’s compare central bank notes about the U.S., Europe
    Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

    Interest rates are making headlines in Europe, as the European Central Bank announced this week that it’s going to keep rates steady for now – but is prepared to move them higher. In the U.S., the Federal Reserve is set to raise interest rates next week. Marketplace’s Nancy Marshall-Genzer and the BBC’s Victoria Craig team up for a discussion about the approaches of both central banks. The people overseeing fracking operations are running into shortages on all fronts.

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  • Mar 11, 2022

    The sociology of sanctioning Russian oligarchs

    The Eclipse, one of the yachts of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovitch, pictured in 2013, is reportedly worth $570 million.
    Valery Hache/AFP via Getty Images

    Sanctions represent an existential threat for Russia’s elite, says sociologist Brooke Harrington.

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  • Mar 11, 2022

    Into the “social death” of the Russian oligarchy

    A large home owned by the Russian Len Blavatnik stands along East 63rd Street in Manhattan on March 01, 2022 in New York City. Some city officials and activists are reacting to Russia's war in Ukraine by demanding the freezing of assets of prominent and wealthy Russians, known as Oligarchs, in New York who have ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Around the world, businesses, sporting groups, and art associations are severing ties to Russia.
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The Western sanctions on Russia’s wealthy elite have raised a variety of questions that range from who these people are to the effectiveness of the sanctions. We spoke to Dartmouth sociologist Brooke Harrington, who argues in a new piece for The Atlantic that the sanctions represent an existential threat for Russia’s elite — and, by proxy, the Kremlin itself. Consumer sentiment has dropped to lows not seen since the 70s and 80s, yet spending remains strong. What gives? The dating app Tinder has added a background check feature that allows users to see if a possible date has a criminal past.

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  • Mar 11, 2022

    Worries emerge for Ukraine’s upcoming planting season

    Harvester machine working in field . Combine harvester agriculture machine harvesting golden ripe wheat field. Agriculture. Aerial view. From above.

    From the BBC World Service: One of Ukraine’s biggest food producers says that Russian advances could prevent Ukrainian farmers from planting this year’s wheat and grain seeds. On the two-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic, China locks down a city of 9 million and a new study suggests that the global death toll could be three times higher than official records indicate.

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  • Mar 10, 2022

    The federal government is officially getting into cryptocurrency

    In April, Hamas announced it would no longer be taking donations in crypto because law enforcement has been able "to trace and track these flows," said Ari Redbord of TRM Labs.
    Jack Taylor/Getty Images

    Earlier this week, President Biden signed an executive order on cryptocurrencies, directing federal agencies to focus regulatory attention on six areas, protecting U.S. consumers and mitigating the risk of illicit activity. It also called for “urgency” around research and development efforts into a possible central bank digital currency (CBDC). For more, we spoke to Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at TRM Labs, a cryptocurrency compliance firm. Congress has overhauled the U.S. Postal Service, but what kind of effects can actual postal workers expect? Diane Swonk wades through market activity with us.

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  • Mar 10, 2022

    Crypto has the attention of the president. What now?

    The president's executive order on cryptocurrency calls for the U.S. to become a leader in its understanding and use.
    Eoneren / Getty Images

    Biden’s executive order calls for first-of-its-kind regulation of cryptocurrency.

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  • Mar 10, 2022

    Rising gas costs are causing a shift for small business

    Inflation isn't entirely dead. Where it matters most, in the cost of food and the cost of energy, prices are going up.
    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Filling up your car with gas has not only become more painful for the average customer, but for small business owners as well. Businesses that rely on vehicles, such as caterers or equipment suppliers, are considering some big changes to their operations because of the pain at the pump. The House approved $1.5 trillion funding bill to keep the government running through the end of its fiscal year in September, and the bill now heads to the Senate. Native tribes are keeping watch on that situation, as short-term funding can cause issues for a key health program.

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  • Mar 10, 2022

    European Central Bank mulls interest rates

    European Central Bank mulls interest rates
    Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service: The European Central Bank will likely be factoring the economic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine into its interest rate policy. Ukraine’s central bank governor has called for reparations to be taken from Russia’s frozen assets around the world. And we explore the likely economic impact of South Korea’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol.

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  • Mar 9, 2022

    Where does OPEC stand in this global game of oil?

    Where does OPEC stand in this global game of oil?
    Ryad Kramdi/AFP via Getty Images

    The oil-producing cartel known as OPEC has been somewhat absent in the oil discussion as countries have imposed bans and sanctions on Russia over the former’s invasion of Ukraine. It makes the global oil picture a little murkier, but here to clear up some of it is Fernando Valle, senior energy analyst at Bloomberg. In terms of oil supply, help for the U.S. could come from a geopolitically surprising source: Venezuela. The BBC reports on the global food impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, as both produce a massive percentage of the world’s wheat.

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