Host Tess Vigeland gets a final perspective on the week on Wall Street, this time from Marketplace's senior business correspondent and market guru Bob Moon.
Many of Michigan's former auto workers are turning to community colleges to train for a career shift, but the state's education system can't accommodate them all. Dustin Dwyer reports.
Writer and commentator Stephen Baker has been trying to figure out how to push his blog to the top of Google's rankings — and he says he's learned a lot in the process.
Need some perspective after this week's collapse? Our senior business correspondent Bob Moon provides some. He discusses with host Tess Vigeland what we've been through and what's ahead.
After all the screaming headlines and doom and gloom of the last few days, we got to wondering whether the government's bailout plans have made people feel better. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman went to find out.
The Treasury Department says it's setting aside up to $50 billion to protect investors in money market mutual funds. Once considered virtually as safe as cash, we learned this week they aren't. Amy Scott reports.
As is now the case with short-selling of some 800 companies.
It's ILLEGAL — for the moment.
By the way — there's already talk that short sellers will sue.
And this may be just the beginning.
Marketplace's John Dimsdale tells us Washington…
As usual…
Is not short of ideas for new regulations.
No matter how the final version of the federal bailout of banks is set up, one thing is for sure: We're all going to be holding that bad debt. For more on what that means, host Tess Vigeland talks with Robert Reich.
There's more than fashion sense involved in making actors look their best on the screen, as we learn from costume designer Alexandra Welker on this week's "A Day in the Work Life."
Chris Farrell and Tess Vigeland help listeners navigate the murky waters surrounding AIG, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and other ailing financial firms.
Money market mutual funds looked to be losing their "good as cash" reputation, so the government stepped in to protect investors. Host Tess Vigeland asks Marketplace's Amy Scott if the move is enough.
Which of this week's big stories will have an impact on you? Economics editor Chris Farrell sets the story straight on how the current financial crisis translates from Wall Street to Main Street.
The federal government is considering creating a new agency that would take on all the toxic debt that has overwhelmed the financial system — hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars. Where would it all go? Jeremy Hobson reports.
A bankruptcy judge is expected to sign off on Barclay's bid to buy some of Lehman Brothers assets. Not much will be left of the storied firm after that, but the government will take on the remains. Amy Scott reports.
The plan would take on the liquidity crisis by clearing the so-called toxic loans from the balance sheets of troubled financial institutions. Markets worldwide were boosted on the news. Jeremy Hobson has more.
Host Stacey Vanek-Smith turns to financial expert Greg McBride to get some practical advice for investors on what to do in this tumultuous economic climate. Some key investor issues come up.
Although there is disagreement in Congress about increasing government spending on infrastructure, there appears to be bi-partisan support to do something for the unemployed. Danielle Karson has more.
UK investors were buoyed not only by news of the U.S. Treasury's plan to set up a new institution for toxic debt, but also by their country's ban on short selling. Megan Williams looks into the turnaround.
Some ESPN viewers miss the old shows, when the network covered seemingly all sports. But today the network also covers a select schedule of events like hot-dog eating contests. Scott Jagow has more.
The bailouts so far haven't generated much of a bump on Wall Street, but the proposal for the government to buy and hold $800 billion in "toxic debt" is well-received. Scott Jagow asks an expert what's up.
Trading floors all over New York — at private companies that trade commodities or bonds or pretty much anything else — have been crazy this week. Kai Ryssdal talks with Tom Digaloma, who runs a government-bond trading desk, about what it's been like.
The SEC has toughened rules on short selling, the British government has banned shorting of financial firms, and New York's attorney general has launched an investigation into the shorting of financial stocks. Bob Moon reports on why these actions were deemed necessary.
In a recent study, 62% of homeowners believed their home had gone up or stayed the same in value in the past year. Commentator and behavioral economist Dan Ariely says in a falling market your house is almost always worth more to you than anyone else.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is removing insurance giant AIG from its index and replacing it with Kraft Foods Inc. Given that Kraft's revenues have been about one-third of AIG's, how much weight should we be giving the Dow? Jeremy Hobson reports.
Six central banks — including those of the U.S., Japan and Switzerland — have added another $180 billion worth of credit into the global banking system. They're all trying to get banks lending money again. John Dimsdale reports.
European banks, the Bank of Japan and the Bank of Canada plan to pump billions of dollars into global markets to avoid panic over the crises on Wall Street. Megan Williams has the story.
Amid all the other things happening on Wall Street, now there's word that Morgan Stanley might be on the market. The investment bank's stock saw its worst day in 15 years yesterday. Jeremy Hobson reports.
With the financial crisis still worsening, central banks around the world plan to pump money into the global markets to provide liquidity. Stacey Vanek-Smith gets an assessment from an economist at Barclay's Capital.
The action by the central banks is the latest effort to solve the crisis in the world financial markets. Stacey Vanek-Smith talks with a reporter with the Financial Times about how effective this will be.
Wall Street is in the headlines, but the financial crisis affects businesses everywhere. Mitchell Hartman took a walk around Portland, Ore., to find out how business owners there are faring.
Lloyds TSB has announced that it will pay $22.2 billion for troubled lender HBOS, a deal that makes Lloyds the UK's largest bank. British authorities apparently approve. Megan Williams reports.
Home Depot says it will lower prices dramatically, in some cases cutting them in half. But is that a good thing to do in this economic climate? Rico Gagliano puts the question to a retail analyst.
Barclays is already on Wall Street with its small bank Barclays Capital, but chief executive John Varley said he wanted more. Buying key Lehman assets would do the trick. Amy Scott reports.
Now comes word that even a money market fund is losing money for investors. Scott Jagow turns to economics correspondent Chris Farrell to find out what he's telling people to make them feel better.
The tiny Asian kingdom of Bhutan has had cell phones for just a few years, and a choice of providers for only a few months. Now its people are experiencing what happens when a company competes for their business. Lisa Napoli reports.
National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell is warning that the league won't be bringing in as much money as originally predicted. Terry Lefton at the Sports Business Journal got his hands on the commissioner's memo. He talks with Kai Ryssdal.
In China, three babies have died and more than 6,000 have suffered kidney damage from tainted infant formula. With Chinese factories feeling the pressure of the global economic slowdown, it could be a sign of things to come. Scott Tong reports.
Commentator David Frum sees the point some are making about the credit crisis — that what's needed to fix things is the strong hand of government. But he strongly disagrees.
The government's been throwing cash around willy-nilly to bail out Bear Stearns, AIG and Fannie and Freddie. Where's all that money coming from? And how often can Bernanke and Paulson keep going back to that well? John Dimsdale reports.
In the year-and-a-half since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the credit crisis would be contained, the markets have kept a mostly cautious stance. But a couple of weeks ago things changed — and not for the better. Bob Moon reconstructs the course of events.
Kai Ryssdal takes us back to the point at which the financial markets' problems began — five years ago when the Fed made it cheap to borrow money and Wall Street took advantage, devising complicated investment schemes that hid their high risk.
The owners of small businesses have the same concern many of us do — Is my money safe? But they have the added worry that all of the bad financial news will discourage shopping. Rachel Dornhelm reports.
A lot of well-known investment houses are gone now — remember E.F. Hutton? Bob Moon talks with a former Goldman Sachs partner about what it will take for investment banks to survive from now on.
The government is lending insurance giant AIG $85 billion in exchange for an 80 percent stake in the company. Is this a good deal for the government? Stacey Vanek-Smith talks to economist Mark Zandi.
Clearly, banks have some work to do convincing people their deposits are safe. Under the circumstances, that's a pretty tall order. Rico Gagliano gets some ideas from marketing expert Faith Popcorn
The federal government let Lehman Brothers die this week, so why is it coming to the aid of AIG? Was the insurance giant really just too big to fail? Scott Jagow puts the question to Jeremy Hobson in New York.
The $1.7 billion deal also saves about 10,000 jobs. Those workers are relieved, but Lehman didn't get the price it wanted. Megan Williams talks to a financial analyst about how this affects the global market.
What's up with the free marketeers in the Bush Administration rushing to help out the big firms on Wall Street? Commentator Robert Reich looks back at the last few years to find what started this mess.
Even though they are relatively small in number, users of the Twitter online service are a powerful group. And companies looking to make quick contact with customers have taken notice. Jennifer Collins reports.
The United Nations General Assembly has quietly convened its annual session. Commentator Amity Shlaes says the explanation for who's friendly with the U.S. at the United Nations — and who's not — is often economic.
There's been a theory that the rest of the world's economies would keep growing even if the U.S. didn't. After a year of subprime mortgage mess, that theory doesn't appear valid. Kai Ryssdal gets the views of economics professor Robert Dunn.
Since the mortgage crisis has hit Wall Street, President Bush has said little and offered little involvement. But what difference can a president really make in economic times like these? Jeremy Hobson reports.
With the nation's biggest investment banks taking body blows and the world's biggest insurer on the ropes, it's not surprising people in the financial markets are a bit hysterical. But what about Main Street and regular people's livelihoods? Mitchell Hartman reports.
Shares in the insurance conglomerate AIG took another dive amid rumors that the Fed's working on some kind of loan package. Meanwhile, mighty Goldman Sachs reported its biggest quarterly drop since it went public. Amy Scott has the roundup.
The Federal Reserve stumped experts today when it kept interest rates at their current level. After all that's been happening, the safe money was on an interest rate cut. Marketplace's John Dimsdale talks with Kai Ryssdal about the surprising decision.
The Fed has not cut inflation since setting it at 2 percent in April, largely because of inflation fears. But turmoil on Wall Street could persuade Fed members to end that steady streak. Jeremy Hobson reports.
While all eyes were on Wall Street's big financial institutions, the price of oil slipped down to $91 a barrel — a seven-month low. How'd that happen? Host Stacey Vanek-Smith asks economist Andrew Hilton.
Mid-tier, regional banks have an opportunity to scoop up some of the business from their failed brethren on Wall Street. Rachel Dornhelm checks in with financial experts on how the public might respond.
British bank Barclays passed on buying Lehman Brothers, but now that Lehman has filed for bankruptcy protection, Barclays might jump back in and try to grab some of Lehman's assets. Megan Williams reports.
An FDA hearing today takes up a controversial plastic hardener that's used in everything from baby bottles to food packaging. Canada plans to ban it from baby bottles. Sarah Gardner reports.
The Lehman Brothers debt is estimated at $600 billion — an unprecedented amount. Now that the company has filed for bankruptcy protection, the more valuable assets could go quickly. John Dimsdale reports.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is saying enough is enough with government bailouts. So, what will happen with troubled insurance company AIG? Scott Jagow takes the question to the head of a British think tank.
Lehman Brothers is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Merrill Lynch has been snapped up by Bank of America. What's next in the mortgage-crisis fallout? Bob Moon takes us through all the changes.
After 9/11, Lehman Brothers moved its headquarters from Wall Street to near Times Square, where the new building's garish light displays fit right in. That didn't put it on the official tourist map — until today's events. Sally Herships reports.
There's no way to know now what the net effect of the events of this weekend are going to be. Surely they'll be fodder for authors and analysts for decades. Commentator and business historian John Steele Gordon says it was bound to happen.
When a lot of us first heard the news about Lehman Brothers declaring bankruptcy, our first thoughts went something like this: What about my money? Marketplace Money host Tess Vigeland explains what to do with your personal finances.
Food labels often make it tricky for people with food allergies to figure out whether something's safe to eat. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday is going to look into whether confusion is damaging confidence. Sarah Gardner reports.
General Motors is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a big bash Tuesday in Detroit. At the party GM is expected to focus on the future and one very important car. Dustin Dwyer reports.
