As Indian-Americans are gaining political power in the United States, their monetary contributions and organizational strength are growing in influence as well. Aswini Anburajan reports.
You always hear politicians say there's no quid pro quo for the donations they get. But commentator and economist Edward Miguel has some new data about how politics pays off on Wall Street.
About 60% of crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico is still off line, almost two weeks after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. That disruption has led to serious gas shortages in parts of the Southeast. Julie Rose reports.
It's been a heck of a week, hasn't it? The deal was on. Then it was off. The economy was collapsing — but not yet, it seems. Kai Ryssdal talks with Katie Benner of Fortune magazine and David Leonhardt of The New York Times about all that's happened.
Federal regulators have taken control of Washington Mutual and promptly sold its biggest parts to JP Morgan, making JP Morgan even bigger. Too big to fail ring a bell here, anyone? Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
The bailout bill deal that pretty much everbody thought we had at the end of the business day on Thursday came undone later in the evening. Marketplace's John Dimsdale explains what happened and where things stand right now.
Whenever a big package makes its way through Congress, it inevitably gets bigger. Items get added. New proposals are proposed. And while the stakes may be higher with the financial bailout proposal, this time's no different. Bob Moon reports.
The Treasury Department is trying to stop consumers from getting into credit card trouble right from the start with a series of ads targeting college-age spenders. Rachel Dornhelm reports.
Being your own boss also means paying all your own bills, including health insurance. As part of our "Interested Parties" series, Ashley Milne-Tyte asks self-employed voters what issues matter to them.
Late Thursday, the FDIC took over Washington Mutual and sold the bank to JPMorgan. Host Tess Vigeland asks Marketplace's Bob Moon what the new ownership will mean for current WaMu customers.
Chris Farrell and Tess Vigeland field questions about money market mutual funds, establishing a diverse portfolio, credit union security and other listener concerns about the volatile market.
Managing your money is hard enough right now without an audience. Host Tess Vigeland welcomes three personal finance bloggers back to the show to see how they're addressing the difficult times.
Even if they don't understand the specifics, your kids probably know that something's not quite right in the financial world. Host Tess Vigeland asks Kiplinger's Janet Bodnar how best to discuss the crisis with children.
Does retirement savings seem like a guessing game? Host Tess Vigeland talks with Lee Eisenberg, author of "The Number," about the factors you should consider when preparing your nest egg.
The recent financial turmoil is particularly unnerving for retirees and seniors. We hear from Marketplace listeners watching their nest eggs dwindle before their eyes.
President Bush said today that lawmakers agree that "something substantial" needs to be done to fix the financial markets. But first, those lawmakers have to agree as to what that "something substantial" is. Jeremy Hobson has the latest.
The president told the American people today that the legislative process "is sometimes not very pretty." No kidding. Republicans and Democrats remain divided on the bailout plan. Jeremy Hobson fills us in.
While lawmakers hash it out on Capitol Hill, European Central Banks and the U.S. Federal Reserve are pumping billions into financial markets. Stephen Beard has more.
Democratic Representative John Spratt tells host Stacey Vanek-Smith that the parties in Congress need to come to an agreement on a rescue measure, because, while unpleasant, it's a necessity.
"The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart saw its highest ratings ever last week, finding the humor in the economic meltdown and presidential race. Stacey Vanek-Smith takes that up with entertainment editor Mike Speier.
Washington Mutual succumbed to the mortgage crisis and was taken over by the FDIC, then quickly sold to JP Morgan. It was the largest bank takeover in U.S. history. Stacey Vanek-Smith asks Tess Vigeland for what this means.
Yesterday's series of moves by Congress members to come up with a bailout plan turned into something of a rollercoaster ride. First there was a deal, then there wasn't, then… Steve Henn sorts it out for us.
The plan Republicans in Congress have proposed involves insuring the so-called toxic assets held by banks, instead of a straight $700 billion bailout. Host Scott Jagow asks business editor Edward Carr if that's a good idea.
The bailout summit that was supposed to go so well apparently turned into a shouting match. Beleagured Treasury Secretary Paulson begged them not to tell anyone how badly it went, but word's out. Host Scott Jagow gets more from Jeremy Hobson.
The economic turmoil has been a blow to homebuilders and they aren't waiting for Congress to make everything right. Rachel Dornhelm reports on some of the creative ways builders are trying to make sales.
With the U.S. health system becoming more complicated, people are looking for help in dealing with the details. Now, companies will shoulder that burden for you — for a price, of course. Caitlan Carroll reports.
While key members of Congress claimed agreement today on the massive bailout plan to rescue America's financial system, conflicts were still evident. Marketplace's John Dimsdale shares the details with Kai Ryssdal.
Melamine, the industrial chemical that was added to Chinese milk and baby formula, has now been found in food outside China. Mitchell Hartman reports on whether this is another Chinese product safety scare about to go global and land in the U.S.
Kai Ryssdal is in Cleveland, Ohio, where he sat in on a radio talk show that fielded calls from listeners about the federal bailout plan. Their anger came through loud and clear.
Over the past couple of weeks, the interest rate banks charge each other for short-term loans has shot up dramatically. Now, rates for money-market funds — what companies use to borrow for day-to-day operations — are soaring as well. Jeremy Hobson reports.
In the bailout deal lawmakers announced today, they're moving away from allocating $700 billion in one shot, as the Bush administration wants. What will Wall Street think of that? Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
Democratic and Republican leaders, as well as both presidential candidates, are headed to the White House today to talk about the market bailout plan. Steve Henn has details of a possible compromise deal.
Host Scott Jagow asks Republican Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas if we really need this bailout plan to avoid economic catastrophe and gets his thoughts on what's most important in the market rescue.
The German government is putting full blame on the U.S. for the global credit crisis, and this morning, the German Finance Minister had scathing words for America's financial leadership. Stephen Beard reports.
Peter Coy, economics editor at BusinessWeek, calls the market rescue plan a "free-market bailout," which is, of course, a contradiction in terms. Host Stacey Vanek-Smith asks what he thinks of the situation.
The President had some dire warnings in a speech last night about the consequences of not reaching a deal to solve the financial crisis. Scott Jagow talks to Steve Henn about the sticking points for Congress.
Today GM executives will announce a new $359 million auto plant opening in distressed Flint, Mich. Workers there will build fuel-efficient engines for the Volt and Cruze models. Mitchell Hartman reports.
Publishers are getting piles of pitches for books about the financial crisis — one says the number of proposals for business books he receives has doubled. Rico Gagliano has more on the story.
Six years ago, IHOP restaurants were struggling. Julia Stewart was hired to shake things up, which she did. Now, the CEO of DineEquity Inc. has an additional challenge: the troubled Applebee's chain.
For a lot of people dealing with rising prices and joblessness, the craziness on Wall Street seems pretty far away. As part of our "Interested Parties" series, Adriene Hill asks Chicago's working poor what they want of a new president.
The African National Congress has run South Africa since the first democratic elections in 1994. But a power struggle among ANC leaders is shaking the nation's economy. Gretchen Wilson reports from Johannesburg.
While most of us are focused on the financial crisis, there is other business afoot in Congress — such as a $610 billion spending package the House passed today. Steve Henn reports.
In addition to paying off massive amounts of debt, a goal of the $700 billion bailout plan is to calm the markets and encourage others to put money into them. Marketplace's Jeremy Hobson explains Market Psychology 101.
We still don't know what Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress last week that got lawmakers so scared. But Marketplace's Bob Moon looks at how bad the worst-case scenarios could be.
Commentator Robert Reich has been watching all the hearings and statements and posturing of the past couple of days. He says Congress and the White House might have missed some economic fundamentals. And that could put the whole plan in trouble.
For all we know, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson licked his finger, stuck it the air, and said "Right, 700 billion." How was that figure arrived at? Dan Grech reports.
The Hank and Ben show made an encore appearance on Capitol Hill today, this time taking their $700 billion bailout proposal before the House Financial Services Committee. Congress has many things it wants to add. John Dimsdale reports.
Fed Chair Ben Bernanke has been saying that investments with value are going for fire sale prices. Well, Warren Buffet heard that and jumped in to buy $5 billion of stock in Goldman Sachs. Steve Henn reports.
The government isn't raising taxes to fund the $700 billion bailout. What's the alternative? Today, the Treasury will auction off two-year T-notes as a start. Are they a good investment? Jeremy Hobson reports.
O Canada. How did it come to this? According to an annual study by international think tanks, Canada now ranks higher than the U.S. in its degree of economic freedom. Commentator Will Wilkinson explains.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is in New York today for talks on the economic crisis. He will give leaders at the UN a list of regulations he believes are needed for the global economic crisis. Stephen Beard reports.
Host Scott Jagow turns to Fortune magazine's Allan Sloan to get his take on the administration's $700 billion mortgage bailout plan. Sloan says he's outraged that there's no obvious plus for taxpayers.
A survey from Technorati.com found that blogs that carry advertising make money. The question is, however, do bloggers make enough money to live on. John Dimsdale runs the survey results by some blog editors.
Fed Chair Ben Bernanke took the administration's mortgage bailout plan to the Senate Banking Committee members Tuesday and will be back on Capitol Hill today. John Dimsdale reports on what Bernanke is up against.
Despite its growth over the past 10 or 15 years, China's economy is hurting a bit. Marketplace's Scott Tong recently spent time in southern China, the heart of the country's manufacturing sector. He shares his impressions with Kai Ryssdal.
After making their case for the $700 billion bailout plan to the Senate banking committee today, Bush administration officials next will go before the House Financial Services Committee and its Chairman Barney Frank. Kai Ryssdal talked with him.
The nation's first mandatory market in carbon starts in the Northeast on Thursday when the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative holds its first auction of greenhouse gas permits. But the bidding might not be all that hot. Sarah Gardner reports.
Google has unveiled its long-awaited smart phone, called Android. It goes on sale next month and has a lot of features that will draw comparisons to Apple's iPhone. But Google may have another competitor in mind. Rico Gagliano reports.
All it took was the threat of global economic Armageddon to get you going. Most of you who wrote to us are not too happy about the economic and financial state of affairs our country is facing. Kai Ryssdal reviews some of your letters.
What, exactly, would Treasury Secretary Paulson buy with that $700 billion? Originally, the plan was to buy bad mortgage debt from banks. But there's a push on to spread the wealth. Steve Henn reports.
How will the architects of the new rescue plan make sure we, as taxpayers, get a fair price? That's what lawmakers on Capitol Hill were asking today. Bob Moon has more.
Fed Chair Ben Bernake and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson have begun testifying before the Senate Banking Committee about the $700 billion bailout. Steve Henn reports lawmakers are circulating three versions.
Last week, oil was $90 a barrel. Yesterday, it was $120 a barrel. This morning, it was back down to $107 a barrel. Host Scott Jagow talks to Stephen Beard in London to find out what's going on.
