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BBC Marketplace Senior Producer

Stephen Ryan

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

Latest from Stephen Ryan

  • Apr 22, 2019

    Who’s killing the hotel room bathtub?

    Shower-only hotel rooms in the U.S. now make up nearly a quarter of all rooms.
    Max_grpo/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    The price of crude hits a six-month high. The class of 2019 is in for a better job market than people that got their diplomas a decade ago. Plus, hotels are saying good-bye to the bathtub.

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  • Apr 22, 2019

    Selling ‘ugly produce’ is proving to be fruitful

    Marketing "ugly produce" has proved fruitful for some entrepreneurs.
    moisseyev/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    U.S. consumers are footing some of the costs of the U.S.-China tariff beef. On Earth Day, we take a look at the program behind that ubiquitous Energy Star stickers. Plus, “ugly” or “imperfect produce” is popular, but are the environmental benefits overstated?

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  • Apr 22, 2019

    Huawei issues first ever quarterly earnings… but why?

    A woman uses her smartphone while walking past advertising outside a Huawei store in Beijing on Jan. 29, 2019.
    WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service… Huawei earnings showed a 39% rise in revenue — but it’s a private company. Tesla goes to Shanghai after video appears to show an exploding vehicle. Plus, a look at China’s 9-9-6 work model.

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  • Apr 19, 2019

    Saving the former boom towns along historic Route 66

    A road marking of the historic Route 66 sign is seen painted on the street of the town of Kingman, Arizona.
    ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/Getty Images

    The number of new homes drops to its lowest level in two years. People owed money by Sears are suing the CEO. Plus, Congress is considering renewing a grant to help the former boom towns along storied Route 66.

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  • Apr 19, 2019

    What about that other government report?

    Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto (L) US President Donald Trump (C) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, sign a new free trade agreement in Buenos Aires, on November 30, 2018, on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit. - The revamped accord, called the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), looks a lot like the one it replaces. But enough has been tweaked for Trump to declare victory on behalf of the US workers he claims were cheated by NAFTA.
    SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

    A recent report finds the “new NAFTA” will benefit the U.S. economy. Amazon and Walmart are now accepting the modern version of food stamps. Plus, how are prisons dealing with the opioid epidemic?

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  • Apr 19, 2019

    Why preventative preservation funding can be challenging for historic buildings

    Flames burn the roof of the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, during a fire. - A major fire broke out at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky, the fire service said. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year, where renovations are currently underway.
    FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service… Employees of India’s troubled Jet Airways are demonstrating in New Delhi. Then, a visit to London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral shows why funding preventative preservation is so challenging.

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  • Apr 18, 2019

    The U.S. is not taking the world’s largest mobile operator’s call

    A logo sits illumintated outside the China Mobile booth on day 2 of the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2019 on February 26, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.
    David Ramos/Getty Images

    Consumers give the economy a much needed bump. China Mobile wants to expand in the U.S., but regulators want to keep the state-owned company out. Plus, Hollywood pressures Georgia lawmakers over a bill restricting abortions.

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  • Apr 18, 2019

    Are black workers being left out of this economic boom?

    Are black workers being left out of this economic boom?
    Joe Raedle/Getty Images

    Workers of color are seeing fewer gains from U.S. economic growth than their white counterparts. The video conferencing company Zoom goes public today, so why is the tech still so bad? Plus, electric vehicles make a splash in China.

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  • Apr 18, 2019

    Industry, protestors come closer together on climate-change goals

    A climate change activist in a hammock occupying Oxford Circus in the busy shopping district of central London on April 18, 2019 uses a megaphone on the fourth day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group. - Nearly 300 people have been arrested in ongoing climate change protests in London that brought parts of the British capital to a standstill, police said on April 17.
    ISABEL INFANTES/AFP/Getty Images

    From the BBC World Service… Amazon is preparing to close its online store that connects local buyers and sellers. Plus, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney launched a new initiative for 34 central banks to “green the financial system.” 

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  • Apr 17, 2019

    When it comes to fonts, less is more business

    Lately, a lot of brands are embracing a minimalist look.
    CactuSoup/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    Is slowing in the European economy a forgone conclusion at this point? A new study finds all those work programs to get you to stay fit don’t actually do much. Plus, why minimalist branding and fonts are good for business.

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Stephen Ryan