Stacey Vanek Smith

Reporter, Marketplace

Stacey Vanek Smith is a former senior reporter for Marketplace.

Latest from Stacey Vanek Smith

Aug 18, 2007
Southwest taking short hauls to No. 1
Justin Sullivan (c): Getty Images
Southwest Airlines is on track to become the biggest airline in the world by the end of this year, as measured by the number of passengers carried. What's its key to success? Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
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Aug 17, 2007
‘Made in the USA’ has new cachet
velo_city via Flickr
Mattel is spinning its damage control wheels as fast as it can following back-to-back recalls of millions of its China-made toys. Meanwhile, American toymakers are cashing in – and dreaming of a red, white and blue Christmas. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
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Aug 16, 2007
Jumbo loans feel subprime weight
Stacey Vanek-Smith
Some in Congress and the mortgage industry want the government to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy up bigger loans. So far, no deal. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports on how that's affecting potential homebuyers in some of the country's most expensive housing markets.
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Aug 14, 2007
Interest rate whispers every which way
Win McNamee, Getty Images
Wall Street wants a rate cut, but some folks are still stuck on inflation worries and hoping to see a bump in the other direction. Meanwhile, the Fed's been happily holding steady. What next? Stacey Vanek-Smith sorts through the speculation.
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Aug 11, 2007
A new class in corporate sponsorship
Marketplace.org illustration, ConocoPhillips / University of Oklahoma
College administrators always say tuition alone doesn't cover their costs. So they have to raise money elsewhere. Some are turning to new and controversial sources. Stacey Vanek Smith has a lesson in education economics.
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Aug 7, 2007
Box office rebound didn’t come cheap
Paul J. Richards (c) AFP/Getty Images
Audiences have returned to movie theaters in huge numbers this year. We may even see record-breaking attendance, but studios had to shell out big bucks to produce the blockbusters that are reeling people in. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
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Aug 7, 2007
Are private prisons the answer?
Getty Images
In the last decade, states have been coming down harder on crime and that's caused a prison population explosion. Many are running out of places to put them. Enter the booming private prison industry. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
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Aug 3, 2007
New prescription for Northwest pilots
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Northwest Airlines says it had to cancel so many flights during peak travel season this summer because pilots were calling in sick and skipping work. Pilots blame post-bankruptcy cost-cutting measures. But a new deal could make it all better, Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
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Aug 2, 2007
Solving the mystery of rising oil prices
Paul Richards/AFP/Getty Images
Oil prices were at an all-time intra-day high of almost $80 a barrel today — shooting up from just six weeks ago, when prices were in the mid-60s. Stacey Vanek-Smith looks into why.
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Jul 31, 2007
A question of healthy competition
Tim Boyle (c) Getty Images
The FTC today kicks off a two-day hearing on whether Whole Foods' pending buyout of rival organic retailer Wild Oats constitutes a monopoly. And industry watchers are divided on this one, Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
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