Marketplace®

Daily business news and economic stories

Stacey Vanek Smith

Reporter, Marketplace

Stacey Vanek Smith is a former senior reporter for Marketplace.

Latest from Stacey Vanek Smith

  • The Kardashian sisters: (L-R) Khloe, Kim and Kourtney.
    Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for IMG

    The ubiquitous Kardashian sisters — Kourtney, Kim and Khloe — can soon be found in your wallet. The sisters will be launching a prepaid MasterCard — with their likeness on it, of course — on Nov. 10.

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  • Zombie bank
    iStockPhoto

    So the latest in the housing crisis won't necessarily make for a great horror flick, but there's a second wave of toxic assets coming. Stacey Vanek-Smith takes a look at what will happen in "Toxic Assets, Part II."

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  • Frozen yogurt from Red Mango.
    tamasrepus/Flickr

    Despite retail stores and restaurants closing all over the country, there's one kind of shop that's booming: self-serve frozen yogurt. What makes the chilly dessert so successful? Stacey Vanek Smith reports.

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  • Visa credit card in wallet
    David Paul Morris/Getty Images

    As trust in banks falters and Americans try to budget their costs, many are turning to prepaid debit cards, where they can put up the money upfront and watch what they spend. But are they really a better alternative to credit cards?

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  • U.S. bonds.
    iStockPhoto

    The Fed may jump in and try to help speed the recovery — some think the Fed's next move is to buy more bonds. Marketplace's Stacey Vanek Smith takes a look at what could happen if the Fed did just that.

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  • The International Monetary Fund seal at the IMF in Washington, D.C.
    Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

    The annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Washington will soon take place. One of the big issues they're tackling: currency. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

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  • A window sticker advertising Visa and MasterCard credit cards in San Francisco
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Visa and Mastercard reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which will give merchants more freedom to influence customers through special offers and discounts to use certain cards.

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  • Stack of newspapers displays a health care article
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    A report says manufacturer 3M will stop offering a group health insurance plan to young retirees while McDonald's has talked about dropping worker coverage. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports on how businesses are reacting to health care changes.

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  • The "Like" button on the Levi's website.
    Marketplace

    The ubiquitous, but innocuous "Like" button on your favorite retail and media websites is a boon for marketers. Just one click and they access to a full range of your personal details — and your friends' too.

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  • A customer looks at a display of flat screen televisions.
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    If it seems like this new TV season is splashier and more star-studded than usually — it's probably because it is. Networks are bringing out the big guns to combat DVRs and Internet television.

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