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BBC Marketplace Senior Producer

Stephen Ryan

Senior Producer, BBC World Service/Marketplace (in London)

Latest from Stephen Ryan

  • Mar 19, 2021

    Debt relief for some student loan borrowers

    Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, right, stands next to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki while speaking during the daily press briefing at the White House on March 17, 2021.
    Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

    The Biden administration is canceling debt for thousands of people with federal student loans from for-profit schools and students who were defrauded. Plus, despite forecasts of strong economic growth for the U.S. economy, Fed Chair Jerome Powell is taking a more cautious approach. And, the state of our bifurcated economy, where some households have managed to save more during the pandemic and others have had to borrow more and increase debt.

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  • Mar 19, 2021

    Now hiring: Restaurants and bars

    Despite new hiring, the restaurant industry has a long way to go, says Erica Groshen, a senior economic adviser at Cornell University.
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Bars and restaurants added nearly 300,000 jobs in February, and there are signs that’s continuing. But there’s still a long way to go. Plus, two bills revamping immigration have now passed in the House. What might they mean for unauthorized immigrants working in the U.S.? And, a closer look at the part of the COVID relief package that expands Medicaid health insurance for women after they give birth.

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  • Mar 19, 2021

    France heads for another lockdown

    Some 1,200 people are said to be in intensive care in hospitals across Paris.
    EPA

    France is the latest European country to begin tightening its lockdown restrictions once more as coronavirus cases surge. Also, the U.K. government sells more of its financial crisis-era shares in one of the country’s largest banks. And, could lab-grown chicken really be the answer to sustainable food?

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  • Mar 18, 2021

    A new tax deadline for the entire country

    A new tax deadline for the entire country
    Zach Gibson/Getty Images

    May 17 is the big day this year. We have more on what the delay of this deadline means for individual taxpayers. Plus, what the U.S. and China will discuss in two days of meetings. And, how professional baseball factors in the fight over the minimum wage.

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  • Mar 18, 2021

    A move in health care by Amazon

    Virtual medical care has been growing since before COVID, and Amazon’s announcement is a sign the industry will continue to grow after the pandemic.
    Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images

    Amazon is going to allow firms across the country to contract for its telemedicine system, so employees of any company that’s signed up can talk to a nurse or doctor remotely. Plus, why the Federal Reserve is keeping its interest rates right where they’ve been, near zero. And, COVID relief money for students and their families filling out applications for federal student aid.

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  • Mar 18, 2021

    China-North America relations back in spotlight

    Michael Spavor (left) and Michael Kovrig have been held in China since December 2018.
    AFP

    Two Canadians charged with spying in China are set to go on trial there in the next few days. The detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig came shortly after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei, on a U.S. warrant. The trial puts China’s tense relationships with the U.S. and Canada back in the spotlight. Also, vaccine rollout issues in Germany. And, warnings about global trade’s post-pandemic recovery.

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  • Mar 17, 2021

    Uber to classify U.K. drivers as “workers”

    In this photo illustration, a closeup of an Uber app is seen on an iPhone on Feb. 19, 2021 in Cardiff, Wales.
    Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

    That means the ride-hailing service has agreed to offer minimum wage, vacation pay and retirement contributions to drivers in the U.K. Plus, awaiting announcements from the Federal Reserve later today, a look at interest rates in the market. And, the impossible choice many Latinx people face between economic security and family health amid the pandemic.

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  • Mar 17, 2021

    Check your bank accounts

    There was some initial confusion because the IRS said that it began processing payments on Friday. People were online on Monday wondering where their deposits were.
    William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

    The first round of those $1,400 direct payments for COVID relief are supposed to clear today for many Americans. Plus, how retailers are competing to attract the consumers who will be spending their relief payments. And, tracking homelessness during the pandemic.

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  • Mar 17, 2021

    U.K. Uber drivers to get minimum wage and more

    Former Uber drivers James Farrar (left) and Yaseen Aslam spearheaded a battle that began six years ago to grant Uber drivers worker status.
    ADCU Union/BBC

    Uber drivers in the U.K. are set to get new employment rights, including the minimum wage, the company has announced. Plus, is the EU fight over the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine damaging confidence in the shot? And, we hear from the village pub in County Wicklow, Ireland, that’s facing its second St. Patrick’s day under pandemic restrictions.

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  • Mar 16, 2021

    The latest on opioid epidemic settlement money

    The latest on opioid epidemic settlement money
    Darren McCollester/Getty Images

    Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has an offer to settle thousands of lawsuits brought by states and others. Plus, grants to enhance vaccine distribution with special attention to underserved populations, including Native Americans. And, Biden’s pick to oversee the latest federal COVID relief rollout.

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