Looking for a little money to help you through a rough spot? It may be time for a trip to the pawn shop. We follow Jaime Bedrin on her quest to turn her jewelry box into cash.
On this week's a Day in the Work Life, we learn the joy of forecasting sunny skies almost every day as we follow Los Angeles TV weatherman Fritz Coleman.
If you're sitting on a mountain of student loans, doing nothing for a few months might actually be your best move. Tess gets the details from Anna Maria Andriotis.
Real estate Web sites were already popular for browsing prices, but as Stacey Vanek Smith reports, people now use these sites to find housing crisis comfort from fellow surfers.
Don't let a downturn squash your business plans. Economics editor Chris Farrell sets the story straight on the opportunities for entrepreneurs during a recession.
The biggest radio company in the nation was supposed to have been bought out by a couple of private equity firms this month for $20 billion. But Clear Channel says the deal might collapse due to the shaky credit markets. Jill Barshay reports.
Confidence in the dollar and the U.S. economy is generally shaky throughout the rest of the world, as the pain from Wall Street's excesses in subprimes continues to spread. Stephen Beard reports on America's least popular export.
When a new set of ethics laws goes into effect in Louisiana this weekend, politicians are going to have to start toeing the line. The Bayou State has a long history of questionable relationships between businessmen and politicians. Kate Archer Kent reports that the new governor's trying to change that.
We all know companies often outsource work to contractors to cut costs. Even governments do it. But federal auditors now say the Defense Department counts on outside contractors too much Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
Zimbabwe has gone from being a net food exporting country to one with a critical food shortage — all of which will play into Sunday's presidential election. Marketplace's Africa correspondent Gretchen Wilson talks with Kai Ryssdal about the nation's crisis.
Companies that haven't traditionally done much in debt markets are now finding themselves caught up in the liquidity squeeze. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports on how the credit crunch might catch some companies unaware.
Don't like the political ads you see on television? Then make one yourself. At VoterVoter.com, a website launched today, you create a campaign commercial and they help you get it on TV.
A new private sector effort to fix the housing crisis appeared this week as former Countrywide execs announced PennyMac. Ashley Milne-Tyte explains the plan.
A fire this month at an LG chemical plant in South Korea is expected to raise the price of LG batteries used in computers. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports the shortage could have far-reaching consequences.
Some musicians are putting their own slant on social networking by starting their own sites. Doug Krizner talks to Billboard's Bill Werde about the evolving relationship between artist and fan and how diehards are getting more involved.
Altria is spinning off Phillip Morris International to focus sales efforts towards smokers outside of the U.S. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports tobacco companies light up at the prospect of marketing to 350 million smokers in China.
Congress takes up the Farm Bill next week, and for the first time in years, they've toyed with cutting subsidies. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports farmers have agreed to some reforms, including a subsidy cap for higher performers.
Yesterday, we aired a story about adjustable rate mortgages as part of our Housing Madness series. Retired real estate broker Ann Hymes wrote in to let us know that ARMS aren't the problem here. She talks to Scott Jagow.
Yesterday's opening of Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport didn't go as well as hoped. From missed flights to a collapsed baggage system to passengers waiting overnight, much fell apart. Stephen Beard reports.
A conservation group wants cities around the world to turn off their lights for an hour this weekend. But some skeptics called last year's event publicity stunt that inspired little long-term change. Sarah Gardner reports.
A new agreement allowing more carriers to offer transatlantic flights is expected to bring thousands of additional American travelers to London's Heathrow Airport. And many Londoners are not too happy about it. Stephen Beard reports.
Competition between Airbus and Boeing is often cast in nationalistic terms. But commentator Benjamin Barber says that in today's global economy, the idea that Boeing is American while Airbus is foreign is simply antiquated.
Some of the biggest auto insurance companies are now offering discounts to a group that is typically the riskiest and most expensive to insure — young drivers and their parents. Jeremy Hobson reports.
YouTube, the online video pioneer, has rolled out a way to make tracking your Web-surfing interests and tendencies even easier. And advertisers are going to love it. Lisa Napoli reports.
The price of oil jumped to $107.50 a barrel today after insurgents in Iraq blew up a crucial pipeline. Jeff Tyler reports on the pricing cause and effect.
The Fed has pumped another $75 billion into the frozen credit markets with the first auction of loans to investment banks that it promised as part of the bailout of Bear Stearns. Will the effort restore confidence to the credit markets? Jill Barshay reports.
An investigation into the subprime meltdown and the credit crunch has shed new light on how the wheels fell off the economy. And there's plenty of blame to go around. John Dimsdale shares the details with Kai Ryssdal.
A report on mortgage lender New Century Financial says auditors at KPMG went along with questionable accounting practices. Amy Scott reports KPMG strongly disagrees with the report, but recent activities raise eyebrows.
Barclays stock might have plummeted 30 percent, but bank president Bob Diamond will still be taking home $42 million for last year. Scott Jagow talks about unions angry over his payday with Christine Seib from the Times of London.
A forum in North Carolina is focusing on getting more African-Americans into the IT industry. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports some IT professionals worry about the reputation the profession has among new graduates.
Overwhelmed by hyperinflation, food is one of the only things with real value in Zimbabwe. Gretchen Wilson reports from a lot in Johannesburg, where passengers are loading a bus to capital city Harare with food.
A new Census Bureau report puts several of the fastest-growing U.S. cities in the south. John Dimsdale reports good weather for outdoor construction was one of a few factors contributing to growth.
H&M, Europe's second-largest clothing store chain, enjoyed a healthy rise in profits in the first quarter. Megan Williams reports how the cheap dollar is helping the retailer and why growth will likely continue.
Despite the devastating subprime crisis, the number of new adjustable rate mortgages is on the rise. In the second part of our "Housing Madness" series, Bob Moon takes a look into the lure of these loans and why they're not a good deal.
Fish farming can be a tedious task when trying to keep the fish from escaping. Jeremy Hobson reports on a new technique some farmers are trying to keep fish within certain boundaries by using a fish call.
The Help Wanted Index comes out today, and analysts are seeing a dramatic drop across the board over the last three to six months. Stacey Vanek-Smith also reports that a recovery will likely be slow.
The number of civilian contractors killed in Iraq last year rose 17%. Not all of them were Americans. Private security firms are increasingly using third-country nationals to support the war. Gretchen Wilson reports from Namibia.
There's been a lot of discussion about whether video games are bad for you, and some research into whether they might actually do you some good. A game called Mindhabits is said to be one of the good ones. Sean Cole reports.
Federal laws passed more than a decade ago encouraged development of leading edge drugs, as well as a way to get them on the market faster. But a study out today says that fast-track process compromises safety. Janet Babin reports.
American Airlines cancelled about 300 flights today to double-check wiring on some of its MD-80 airplanes. The inspections were prompted after an audit by the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration. Jeff Tyler reports.
Commentator Robert Reich wants to call your attention to a mortgage-crisis bill in Congress with an interesting twist. It would allow taxpayers who pick up the tab for bailouts to profit if the gamble pays off.
This week Hillary Clinton called on the government to help homeowners more, John McCain warned against too much government action, and Barack Obama said McCain doesn't know what he's talking about. Nancy Marshall Genzer looks into whether any of them do.
Treasury Secy. Henry Paulson spoke on financial policy today. Frankly, the speech was a bit dull. So we asked some experts to take it apart and tell us what was significant. Kai Ryssdal has more.
Motorola announced it will be spinning off its ailing mobile phone handset business, a move the company hopes will allow for more flexibility. Amy Scott reports they're also hoping to silence frustrated investors.
Younger people typically don't take the time to think about investing in their future, but a group of mutual funds is marketing with a slant towards Gen-Xers. Alisa Roth has more on fashionable financial planning.
After gaining unexpectedly yesterday against the euro, dollar once again fell again after a rise in German business confidence. Megan Williams reports why certain economic factors in Germany made the report unexpected.
Business software giant Oracle will share its quarterly earnings later today, and many analysts see the company as an economic indicator for the tech sector. Lisa Napoli looks at why their business is so important.
At one time, California had the toughest electric vehicle mandate in the country. Tomorrow, California Air Resources Board will update what's left of the state's zero-emissions program. Sarah Gardner has more.
Today, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson talks to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about the state of the economy. But despite talk on the mortgage markets, Alisa Roth reports that an economic overview is off the agenda.
Economic figures like former Fed chief Alan Greenspan are favorite targets of those looking for someone to blame about market downturn. But commentator Will Wilkinson says Monday morning quarterbacking is a bit too easy.
In his new book, "Back of the Napkin," author and consultant Dan Roam says if we want better presentations at meetings — and better ideas — we have to get rid of all those Powerpoints.
Much of the talk about the economy has involved whether the United States is in a recession. Even if it is, says commentator and economist Susan Lee, things could, and might, get worse.
Three-quarters of a million Iraqis displaced by the war are in Jordan. They're spread throughout the local communities, where they've had to find places to live, enough to eat, and an education for their children. Alisa Roth reports.
It's not just wannabe homebuyers who are keeping an anxious eye on the real estate market. State pension funds lost billions when the subprime loan crisis hit and the market collapsed. But now they smell a bargain and they're getting back into the game. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
To prop up the economy, the Federal Reserve has put $260 billion into banks' hands through auctions on short-term loans since December. What happens to all that money? John Dimsdale reports.
So, consumer confidence is down and home prices are still sliding. Maybe it's time for some counterintuitive behavior — like thinking about getting into the housing market. Kai Ryssdal checks out that notion with Dan McGinn of Newsweek.
The slide in real estate was punctuated today by a report that home prices were down more than 11% in January from a year earlier — the steepest drop in more than 20 years. Nancy Marshall Genzer has the story.
Consumer confidence hit a five-year low in March, another victim of tightening credit, rising prices and a crummy job market. We sent Jeremy Hobson to the National Mall in Washington to ask Americans how confident they are.
The Girl Scouts are almost 100 years old, and it shows — membership in recent years has stagnated. Amy Scott reports the group has hired its first chief marketing officer to show the Scouts aren't stuck in the past.
Farmers in South Texas are in court on a claim Mexico hogged water during a drought in the 1990's. But in an odd twist, the U.S. State Department is siding with Mexico. Dan Grech reports.
The AFL-CIO released an online survey where almost half of the 26,000 participants said they or a family member stayed in a job just to keep health insurance benefits. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports on a particular case.
If small businesses decide they want to do business in China, they can hire a range consultants to help them understand the country's complex market and culture. Bill Marcus reports how they help — and what they cost.
Sales of existing homes saw their first increase in six months, some analysts say lower housing prices had something to do with it. Alisa Roth reports how the softening price effect could seep into other markets.
Virgin is in an $8 million over 15 Boeing Dreamliners, but the plane maker is having development problems that could delay delivery. Stephen Beard reports Virgin is already talking about compensation.
Realtor Martha Ann Wishnev normally sells about $7.5 million worth of real estate a year, but she hasn't cut many deals since home sales dropped 22 percent nationwide. Rachel Dornhelm reports in the first of a new housing series.
In order to take advantage of new "live" Blu-Ray DVDs that connect to the Internet, you need access to a Playstation 3. Janet Babin reports why people who purchased a Blu-Ray player might feel a little burned.
JP Morgan's five-fold increase in its share price offer to Bear Stearns has incited big gains in financial markets in Europe and Asia. Stephen Beard talks to Scott Jagow about why there's a rally in the markets now.
The Chinese government routinely blocks Internet content. Today, it's what the government doesn't censor that has human rights activists accusing American companies of complicity in human rights abuses. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
The tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan has changed from an absolute monarchy to the world's newest democracy and reformed its economy. Do the Bhutanese know what they're in for? Marketplace's Lisa Napoli tells the story of playing host to a Bhutanese visitor to Los Angeles.
Women outspend men by more than $14 billion on technology products, a study found. Kevin Pereira from G4's "Attack of the Show" talks with Kai Ryssdal about some of the gadgets being marketed to women and why.
Commentator and high school junior Morrisa Brenner is taking tests and filling out applications to get into college. In the process, she's learned that colleges are selling themselves just as much as prospective students.
Some former executives of the fallen mortgage lender Countrywide are starting a new company to invest in troubled mortgages. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
As the banking crisis continues to unfold on Wall Street, a lot of fingers are pointing at Washington and asking what happened to the people who're supposed to keep an eye on the market. Jeremy Hobson reports.
If $2 a share in the JPMorgan-Bear Stearns deal engineered by the Fed wasn't enough for stockholders, will $10 a share satisfy them? And is this now officially a bailout with a capital B? Kai Ryssdal takes a look with Marketplace's Bob Moon.
Former Countrywide executives are launching a new company that hopes to profit from the whole subprime mess. Despite the old company's bad rep, Amy Scott reports the connection might not damage the new firm.
Members of Congress are focusing on a loophole in a proposed new rule for government contractors working abroad. Jeremy Hobson reports why House Democrats don't like the Bush Administration's latest approach to contracts.
A new multi-space, credit card-friendly parking meter is garnering mixed reactions from the driving public. Rachel Dornhelm explores the technology's many facets that will allow cities to cash in big — sometimes to parkers' dismay.
Sales of Easter-related goods are at about what they were last year, though there may be a boost for Spring clothing as parts of the country without fairer whether will still sell items at full price. Danielle Karson reports.
