Products marketed to men are generally portrayed as things only a real man would want. Deodorant that withstands the elements! Cars that eat up the road! Food that slays your hunger! Candles? Caitlan Carroll reports.
Sometimes changes in bank ownership can be pretty painless for customers. But there are times when a bank's closing makes entire communities care. Adrienne Hill reports.
Reuters blogger Felix Salmon and business writer Heidi Moore talk with Tess Vigeland about how consumers might be feeling going into this shopping season and Dubai's debt problems.
It might be Black Friday where you are, but in some cities in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's Plaid Friday. It's all part of efforts to get shoppers to buy from independently-owned, small retailers. Rachel Dornhelm reports.
The public comment period on proposed rules by the Federal Reserve to crack down on executive pay is over. What would the regulations do? John Dimsdale reports.
The state-owned company Dubai World wants more time to repay its debt. Given that it owes at least $59 billion to creditors, there are concerns a wave of defaults could be on the way. Jeremy Hobson reports.
The closed stretch of Interstate 64, St. Louis' main east-west freeway, has hurt attendance to the St. Louis Galleria, which is directly on the route. But the state's planning to re-open I-64 early next month. Adam Allington reports.
Texas created a pre-paid college investment plan called the Texas Tomorrow Fund to help families across the state with the rising costs of college tuition. But the fund is soon expected to run out of money. David Martin Davies reports.
A growing number of companies want to withhold some pay from ad agencies they use unless their marketing campaigns work. This new way of doing business could hit smaller agencies especially hard. Lilly Fowler reports.
Several labels at big department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and JC Penney are packing up and preparing to lay roots in new homes. Andrea Gardner explains why these brands are choosing to move down-market now.
Dubai World, the United Arab Emirate's main development engine, says it can't start paying back $60 billion in debt. Steve Chiotakis talks to Stephen Beard about why that's raised markets' concerns for an increased threat of default.
Jim Davis from the talent management firm DDI talks with Tess Vigeland about results from a survey conducted by his company that measured the satisfaction workers felt with their jobs.
How do you find a job in today's economy when most companies aren't hiring and few jobs are being created? Commentator Charles Handy says the thing to do is make your own work.
Stories of families in the throes of losing their homes are all over the news. But what happens to those families — and the homes — after the foreclosure is final? Krissy Clark visits a couple in Las Vegas to find out.
In effort to avoid foreclosure and preserve their credit rating, some are willing to sell their homes for less than they owe on the mortgage. But even taking a loss isn't always as easy as it sounds. Peter O'Dowd reports.
Each week on Marketplace Money, host Tess Vigeland looks at the week's major national and international stories that will impact the average listener's wallet.
A British High Court ordered Liberia to pay millions of dollars to two offshore investment firms running so-called "vulture funds." Stephen Beard reviews criticism of these funds and why some want to restrict how much they can recoup.
China announced it will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 with a pledge to reduce what's called "carbon intensity." Jeremy Hobson explains what the term means and how the rate of emissions is involved.
Markets are concerned about a proposed restructuring of debt for Dubai World. Steve Chiotakis talks about the move and other international business news with Howard Wheeldon of BGC Partners.
The Maine Mall in Portland, Maine is opening a lot later this Black Friday than in previous years. And with less merchandise in stock and the need to save on staffing, stores are appreciating the move. Jennifer Collins reports.
China is the world's largest source of carbon emissions, and now it's putting forth a carbon target in a run-up to next month's climate change talks in Copenhagen. Steve Chiotakis talks to Scott Tong in Shanghai.
Package deals at hotels are becoming an increasingly popular online gift as chains struggle to put bodies in their rooms. But better take advantage now — prices will go up by 2011. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Supply, funding and price are some of the big challenges facing programs feeding needy Americans. How can food assistance groups overcome these obstacles? Steve Chiotakis talks to Betsy Zeidman of the Milken Institute.
A food pantry in Philadelphia has found a new way to distribute its goods to the hungry. Designed like a 7-11, clients can walk through the store with a grocery cart and accumulate whatever will fit in the basket. Joel Rose reports.
German unemployment is under 8 percent, compared to over 10 percent in the U.S., thanks to a program that pays workers if their employers have to cut working hours. The government has decided to extend the program through 2011. Brett Neely reports.
Ever since Kogi Korean BBQ-to-Go put its meals on wheels, lines have been forming wherever its truck is parked in greater Los Angeles. Its most loyal customers follow Twitter updates to find the next stop. Brendan Newnam reports.
The recession has cut into wine sales in restaurants, so winemakers are trying to find ways to attract new buyers, including one market the business had previously written off. Ethan Lindsey reports.
Food pantries have seen demand at record highs this year while donations have dwindled. But some help has come from people who, instead of donating money, have provided the fruits of their labor. Caitlan Carroll reports.
Marketplace reporter Steve Henn figures his typical family breakfast journeys 6,000 miles to his kitchen table — a symptom of the growing global food trade. And the fossil-fuel cost of moving commodities across the planet keeps growing too.
Lee Eisenberg, author of the book "Shoptimism: Why the American Consumer Will Keep on Buying No Matter What," talks with Tess Vigeland about how shopping can actually provide meaning in our lives.
Black Friday is almost upon us. This time around, retailers are coming up with new ways to keep customers coming without giving away the store. Sally Herships reports.
China is getting richer and more powerful, but the markets are as well. Commentator David Frum says not even China can successfully tangle with them for long.
Only three banks have opened in the third quarter this year, the fewest since World War II. Bill Hawkins, CEO of one of those banks, talks with Tess Vigeland about how hard it is to open up in this environment.
Toyota is recalling 3.8 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix accelerator pedals. Jeremy Hobson reports on what that means for customers, dealers and the carmaker.
Consumer confidence is up, but big purchases are down. Stacey Vanek-Smith hashes through indicators with Professor Peter Morici of the University of Maryland and Steve Chiotakis gets a breakdown from Diane Swonk at Mesirow Financial.
A group of publishers, including Conde Nast, Time and Hearst, is creating an online newsstand to give readers an easy way to get electronic versions of the glossies. The incentive is to rake in cash from online content. Jennifer Collins reports.
Legislation to use market forces to reduce carbon emissions may be stuck in Congress, but some states are banding together to form regional cap and trade programs. Ashley Milne-Tyte explains how it works.
Toy safety issues and product recalls have made headlines in recent years. Is the industry being more vigilant now? Stacey Vanek-Smith talks to LA Times business columnist David Lazarus, who says big companies are doing better than smaller manufacturers.
Amazon and Wal-Mart are competing for their share of the e-commerce market by out-dealing each other. Will big retailers' low pricing of major brands put smaller retailers out of business? Joel Rose reports.
Swedish car maker Koenigsegg backed out of a deal to buy Saab. Now General Motors has to decide what to do with the company. Steve Chiotakis explores GM's options with European correspondent Stephen Beard.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that well-known charity the United Homeless Organization is a fraud. The news could have a chilling effect on donations to legitimate groups. Amy Scott reports.
A group of liberal lawmakers is working on a bill that would tax Wall Street's stocks and derivatives trading to raise money for job creation and deficit reduction. Steve Chiotakis talks to Washington Bureau Chief John Dimsdale.
Is it worth it to make your own butter? Jennifer Reese explores the most cost-effective approach to do-it-yourself food in her frugal-minded blog, The Tipsy Baker. Tess Vigeland paid her a visit and helped her make bagels.
Retailers are preparing to battle dishonest customers. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports that with fraud on the rise, retailers are often left holding the bag.
Some economists say giving gifts just doesn't make sense. Joel Waldfogel, author of "Scroogenomics," talks with Kai Ryssdal about how the idea is fraught with value destruction.
Asia correspondent Scott Tong talks with Kai Ryssdal about how the weak dollar is stoking up a new investment scheme that's creating fears of the next big bubble.
Ghana is one of the world's top producers of gold. And with gold's price at record highs, more companies are heading to the African country for a piece of the action. Anna Boiko-Weyrauch reports.
A new report says one in four U.S. homeowners is underwater, owing more on their mortgage than their house is worth. Jeremy Hobson reports on the future of the housing market.
Today the government revised the gross domestic product downward. What does that mean for economic growth? Stacey Vanek-Smith talks to Chris Low from FTN Financial, and Steve Chiotakis talks to Juli Niemann from Smith, Moore and Company.
Women are in charge of 80 percent of consumer spending. What are marketers doing to appeal to them? Stacey Vanek-Smith talks to women's marketing expert Mary Lou Quinlan, who says women can't be trusted when it comes to why they buy products.
India plans to spend $10 billion on new fighter jets for its military, and Boeing and Lockheed Martin are both vying for the contract. Meanwhile, Russia is trying to maintain its footing as India's primary combat jet provider. Jeff Tyler reports.
After a crackdown on illegal file-sharing, Sweden seems to be bucking the trend of declining music sales. South Korea is following suit with its own anti-piracy rules and seeing similar success. Stephen Beard reports.
With commercial real estate in a rough patch, landlords are offering deals to more temporary tenants in order to fill vacant storefronts. This is good news for pop-up stores, which are in business for only a few weeks. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Providian was the first company to open up the credit card business to lower-income, high-risk customers. Reporter Lowell Bergman talked to former Providian CEO Shailesh Mehta for a new "Frontline" documentary.
Home prices rose for a fourth-straight month in September, according to the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Marketplace's John Dimsdale tells host Steve Chiotakis what the rising prices mean for a housing market hit hard by the recession.
Several studies have shown that minorities tend to receive lower quality health care than whites do. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports on efforts to close that gap.
Hollywood is going through some of the pains the rest of the economy is. Commentator Rob Long says scaling back is much harder than dreaming big when you work in the business.
Pinball machines used to be everywhere, but not anymore. Economics professor Jeff Ely talks with Kai Ryssdal about the economic lessons that can be learned from the machine.
Insurance companies are counting the costs of severe flooding in northern England. Stephen Beard reports the deluge has wrecked hundreds of homes and businesses.
There are reports that Microsoft has been talking to News Corp about a deal that would keep the media company's content on Bing and off Google. Joel Rose reports.
