Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government agreed to buy AES subsidiary La Electricidad de Caracas for $800 million. AES valued it at $2.6 billion. Kai Ryssdal talks with economic journal editor Robert Bottome about the deal.
Top Army officers met up with a tough Bush administration critic on Capitol Hill today as they addressed the president's request for further Iraq war funding. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
More than 50 American defense and aerospace companies are at the Aero India show this week, showing off their flashiest aircraft. But the trip was a long way to go for not much payoff. Miranda Kennedy reports.
A House committee released a $1.2 billion package of small-business tax cuts today. The House is trying to find common ground with the Senate on a minimum-wage increase, but that ground is proving shaky. Steve Tripoli reports.
Carl Icahn's private equity fund has made a deal to buy the auto-parts maker Lear for close to $3 billion — at a time when parts suppliers are struggling. Amy Scott reports on what Icahn might have in mind.
For observant Jews on the sabbath, work, electrical devices and machinery are off-limits. But some Israeli rabbis are making machines to keep the faithful inside the letter — and spirit — of religious law. Shia Levitt reports.
Towns in Connecticut, Texas and Wisconsin will tell you in short order that they're the birthplace of the modern-day American hamburger. Reporter Brian Bull did some grilling to get to the meat of their claims.
Life is hard enough without having to decipher everything. Each week, Marketplace Money brings you a word or a phrase that has bubbled to the top of the news. For instance, "Front running." You hear it, you see it, but do you really know it?
Our economics editor Chris Farrell answers your burning money questions. This week, advice on buying bonds, investing in a "hot" fund, and qualifying for domestic partner benefits.
Spend, not save. That seems to be the mantra of the American consumer. Kai speaks with economist Peter Morici about the dwindling savings rate among Americans.
What's better: paying off your mortgage quickly or building other financial investments? Kai Ryssdal talks to Smart Money's Bob Rose about what makes the most sense for you.
Most workers would prefer a root canal to asking their boss for a raise. So we decided to find out how to make that conversation less painful. Tess Vigeland reports on the do's and don't's of preparing for the money talk.
U.K. investors applauded news that a British company will buy Laidlaw, America's biggest private operator of school buses. But it already owns the No. 2 carrier so there could be regulatory roadblocks ahead.
Con artists have found a new way to prey on nervous homeowners in danger of losing their properties. It's called a foreclosure release scam, and there are some sure danger signs to look for.
Amazon, TiVo and Wal-Mart are among the companies jockeying for the lead in the movie download business, but Daily Variety's Mike Speier says it's going to be a long time before they're making money at it.
Growing pains at the world's largest maker of telecommunications equipment: Alcatel-Lucent announced today that it will lay off even more workers than anticipated. And don't look for a quick turnaround.
Wrigley has a stranglehold on the U.K's chewing gum market, but Cadbury Schweppes has spent the past year formulating a plan — and gum — to win over British consumers.
The G7 finance summit starts today and one item on the agenda is whether hedge funds should be regulated — or if that would just risk sending the global economy into a tailspin.
Amazon carries two cockfighting magazines on its site, so the Humane Society is suing the online retail giant. Amazon refuses to take them down as a matter of free speech.
Rival Palestinian factions have signed a deal to form a national unity government after marathon talks aimed at ending deadly infighting — and the international boycott that's crippled its economy.
The hybrid Prius is a bit of a harder sell today than it was last year, when inflated gas prices inspired greener-minded car buyers. Sarah Gardner reports on Toyota's push to increase sales.
Critics of private equity deals say the firms involved just want to strip their purchases down and sell them off. But commentator Matthew Bishop sees it differently.
Angered by exorbitant executive compensation packages, some shareholders are taking action. This proxy season, they're fighting back with voting power. Amy Scott reports.
Regulations similar to those that prompted some businesses to leave U.S. stock markets are being considered in Europe. That concerns the exchanges there, which benefitted from the fallout. Stephen Beard reports.
British banking giant HSBC is facing bad-debt charges of more than $10 billion — worse than analysts expected. The company blames U.S. mortgage holders who aren't making payments. As Alisa Roth reports, HSBC's not the only one in trouble.
As part of their six-party negotiations with North Korea, the U.S. may be considering easing some banking sanctions. Kai Ryssdal talks with Marketplace's Scott Tong from Shanghai about the ongoing talks.
The on-again, off-again talks over North Korea and nukes are on again with renewed signs of optimism. Namely that Washington may unfreeze bank assets of Pyongyang leaders if they're ready to talk disarmament.
The slowdown in the U.S. housing market has rippled all the way across the Atlantic. A British banking group has warned that bad debts will be much greater than expected.
After a decade of shying away from U.S. tobacco companies, it looks like Europe is ready to reinvest. Britain's Imperial Tobacco Group is set to buy American discount cigarette maker Commonwealth.
The White House has been talking a lot about global warming and energy security lately, but Chris Farrell says the President's budget lacks the commitment to do something about them.
Tour de France winner Floyd Landis may still race in that country again someday, but the scandal has been a drain on his finances — and other cyclists looking for sponsors.
A little mutual fund comparison shopping can save you thousands of dollars, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Even students at an elite MBA school had a tough time choosing the best deal.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is unveiling a plan to suppress gang activity by targeting the city's worst gangs. Officials are up against more than 40,000 members in 700 gangs.
From the head of NBC bashing YouTube to Amazon selling movies through TiVo, old media are still adapting to new technologies. Kai Ryssdal discusses the ongoing download battle with Marketplace's Bob Moon.
The Electric Power Supply Association joined a growing list of corporate groups calling for federal caps on greenhouse gas emissions. Sam Eaton reports on why CO2 regulations are becoming more widely endorsed.
In Los Angeles, gangs are no longer just an inner-city problem. A summit of police and community leaders is taking a look at the costs to businesses and taxpayers. Jeff Tyler reports.
The rising cost of health insurance is creating some strange bedfellows. Today, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott stood beside labor union representatives advocating approaches they could all live with. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
Indonesia has decided to send its bird flu virus samples to a drug company instead of the World Health Organization to develop a vaccine. Some researchers are worried, as Helen Palmer reports.
The U.S. is going to have trouble funding alternative energy if it waits for a carbon tax. Commentator Robert Reich says we should look to oil companies to provide the money.
When the coal mines near Canada's east coast closed, miners found work in Alberta's Oil Sands 3,000 miles away. Phonse Jessome reports on the impact the western Canadian industry has on one small eastern town.
Congress failed to pass several bills restricting foreign investment after the United Arab Emirates tried to purchase the Dubai Ports. Kai Ryssdal reviews the compromise on foreign deals the House is now considering.
For the first time, the U.S. has flown in its big guns for India's air show. They want a slice of a market expected to generate as much as $30 billion in defense deals — not to mention India's booming commercial travel industry.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says too many good bills are lost to bad cost projections and that lawmakers should demand the Congressional Budget Office open up its scoring models.
Cars sold in the EU may soon have to meet emissions standards 18 percent lower than current limits. Environmentalists say it's not enough. Automakers say it's going to force up the price of cars.
While the housing market continues its decline, commercial real estate is a red-hot investment opportunity thanks to rising rents and low interest rates.
Smaller investors will have a chance to get in on hedge fund action previously available only to the wealthy later this week when Fortress Investment Group goes public.
The Senate takes a look at the 2007 farm bill today. On the table: cutting subsidies to the wealthiest farmers, aiming more money at conservation and spending to promote American fruits and vegetables.
Amazon and TiVo are teaming up to bridge the gap between your PC and your living room. They plan to offer movies downloaded from the Internet straight to your TV.
Who cares what the outside of your PC looks like as long as it's got a fast chip inside, right? Well, no. Ethan Lindsey found some people for whom looks — with a fine veneer — matter.
The photo and film company, which was late getting to the digital party, has unveiled a new breed of printers in an attempt to capture some of the market dominated by Hewlett Packard. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
The discount giant is getting into the online movie business, offering downloads for less than the competition. But, as Pat Loeb reports, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a hit.
A House committee drilled Paul Bremer on $12 billion in Iraq reconstruction money his agency handed out that's unaccounted for. Congressmen also took the opportunity to voice frustrations with Bush administration policies. Eric Niiler reports.
Peer-to-peer lending sites are becoming a popular alternative for people who need a loan but have less-than-stellar credit. Amy Scott talks to borrowers and lenders on Prosper.com.
The Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed it's looking into allegations of insider trading by hedge funds and other clients of Wall Street brokerage houses. John Dimsdale has more.
Yale sociologist Rachel Sherman did some hands-on research into what it's like to work in a low-wage job at a five-star hotel. She talks with Kai Ryssdal about her experience.
Author Margaret Heffernan has researched women-owned businesses and come to the conclusion that they're doing a lot of things right – and, in some ways, better than their male counterparts.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency is on the Hill today to answer for his agency's actions. And critics in the newly-empowered Democratic Congress won't make it easy for him.
Commentator Jessica Seigel says the American fashion industry's refusal to institute minimum weight rules on the runway is just one sign of a "thin is in" mentality that's bad for everyone, including the bottom line.
Europe's telecom giants want to launch their own mobile search engine to compete with Google for the online advertising dollars (and euros) directed at their 600 million customers.
A U.N. panel lifted a year-old trade ban on beluga caviar yesterday, but a group of American chefs is saying not so fast. They've asked the U.N. to put the ban back.
Lower oil prices have been slowly siphoning profits from all the Big Oil companies, but BP announced today that its fourth-quarter profit fell to a two-year low because of all that extra safety spending.
Kodak is entering the inkjet printer market with a line using ink that lasts for 100 years. That's more than seven times what's out there now, but it might be longer than the company survives if this strategy doesn't work.
Are we the taxpayers getting our money's worth out of government contractors? Congress takes a closer look at the so-called fourth branch of government this week.
In his 2008 budget, President Bush bases his proposals on steady economic growth and low inflation. But those assumptions are seen as questionable down at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. John Dimsdale reports.
A poll says much of France's population thinks abandoning the franc for the euro was a mistake. In one small town, the franc is still legal tender. John Laurenson reports.
There's a new nicotine gel that's supposed to cure a smoker's cravings for hours. Marketplace's Sean Cole is a smoker, so we sent him to check it out. He was rubbing his hands over the assignment.
NBC Universal is expected to name Jeff Zucker as its new CEO. He's been running NBC's television group. Daily Variety's Joe Adalian talks with Kai Ryssdal about what the change means for the media conglomerate.
Daimler-Chrysler's putting together a major restructuring plan, according to The Detroit News. Alisa Roth explains that we'll know a whole lot more next week.
CE0s who fly around in company jets might have to start paying special fees to use the FAA's air-traffic-control system. Commercial airlines say it's about time. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
The government is considering a proposal to hike the application fee for U.S. citizenship from $330 to $595. Is it a fair price to pay? John Dimsdale reports.
The Fed is expected to hold interest rates steady for a while. Newsweek's Wall Street editor Allan Sloan thinks part of the reason is pressure to keep the dollar strong.
U.S. trade officials will hold talks this week over South Korea's repeated rejection of American beef shipments — a matter that's sticking in the craw of free trade negotiations with that country. Sarah Gardner reports.
British officials say they've contained the avian flu outbreak that hit a turkey farm there last week, but there are fears that confidence in Britain's poultry industry could be shaken. Stephen Beard reports.
To combat the growing economic burden imposed by Iraqis who've fled the war, neighboring Jordan has closed its public schools to families who cannot prove official residency. Amelia Templeton has the story.
The maker of Snickers and Mars bars says it will stop marketing to children under 12, a move that other food companies will probably be forced to follow, says Jenny Wiggins of the Financial Times.
When the Toyota Camry takes to Daytona's famed speedway, it'll mark the first time that a foreign-branded car will compete full-time against the Fords, Dodges and Chevys of NASCAR's Nextel Cup series. Scott Graf reports.
The President's budget arrives on Capitol Hill this morning. He wants to cut domestic programs like Medicare while keeping tax cuts in place, but the plan isn't likely to survive a hostile Congress, Eric Niiler reports.
NBC Universal could announce as early as tomorrow that Jeff Zucker will be promoted to CEO of the media giant — but he'd better resurrect those ratings if he wants to stay on top, Alisa Roth reports.
