Week of April 26th, 2010

We weren't ever able to connect with the owner of Vacation Vinyl for our interview today although I really do want to go there next time I'm in Los…

Question: My husband has been looking into Forex trading. There is software to buy and initial investment. I am concerned that this is all a scam….

Rap superstars 10 years ago were all about the bling, but a lot has changed since then. Pitchfork staff writer Tom Breihan talks with Tess Vigeland about why he says a rap recession is underway and what will drive the genre's success in the future.

The clock is ticking for high school seniors to send in deposits to reserve their college spots. Amy Scott reports these days money is a big factor in choosing colleges, especially in this economy.

Freelance business journalist John Carney and Fortune Magazine's Leigh Gallagher talk with Tess Vigeland about the latest with Goldman Sachs and where we are with financial reform.

A new study finds a spike in the number of so-called "strategic" defaults. That's when someone can afford payments, but abandons a home because it's worth less than the mortgage. Jeff Tyler reports.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou says his country's survival is at stake and needs bailout funds. Germany has been the main obstacle to the bailout, but word from Berlin is Germans are prepared to help. Stephen Beard reports.

States are on deadline to decide whether to take federal money to run a new insurance pool for people with serious medical problems or tell the feds to run it themselves. Gregory Warner reports.

The Obama administration dispatched inspectors to the Gulf of Mexico to check safety conditions aboard deepwater rigs. And officials blasted BP, owner of the downed rig, for not doing more to contain damage. Are new federal safety rules on the industry far behind? Brett Neely reports.

Marketplace Money reviews a new listings website for people who will do just about anything for five bucks.

Why do some investors choose to ignore the personal finance information that says not to sell when stock market prices are low? Sally Herships investigates the psychology behind the low seller.

The College Board's Patricia Steele talks with Steve Chiotakis about students who borrow more than they can handle paying back.

Doug Gates, founder of the new website MoxyVote, talks to Steve Chiotakis about how his site can help even small shareholders make a difference in the companies in which they invest.

Liz Pulliam Weston of MSN Money joins Steve Chiotakis to answer listener questions, including one from a guy who doesn't plan to retire, and wonders what his financial planning should look like in that scenario, and a woman who can't wait to retire but wonders whether to sell or rent her house.

Commentator Meghan Daum argues one of life's simple pleasures is daydreaming about what you don't have in life.

Janet Bodnar, an editor at Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, talks with Steve Chiotakis about the recent survey they conducted about how families are handling their money since the economic downturn.

Nicolas Retsinas, director of Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, talks to Steve Chiotakis about what the government's homebuyer's tax credit has done for the housing market.

Interesting divergence coming out of our editorial meeting today:…

A myriad of countries and corporations from around the world have flocked to the 2010 Shanghai expo to flaunt their goods to millions of potential Chinese customers. Marketplace's Scott Tong describes the fantastical atmosphere to Bob Moon.

Hmm? Did America top the list? According to Businessweek, although the U.S. consumes the most coffee, it "can't crack the top 10 on a per-capita…

When we found out Greek coffee cup inventor Leslie Buck died this week, we asked Marketplace Morning Report Host Steve Chiotakis to reflect on the…

Following the SEC's civil case of fraud, federal prosecutors want to start a criminal investigation into Goldman Sachs. But a criminal case could be more difficult to prove than a civil one. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

Aaron Viles of the Gulf Restoration Network put up a quick blog post for people interested in volunteering at the BP oil spill in Louisiana. Check…

As sludge continues to leak in the Gulf of Mexico from BP's well at an estimated rate of 5,000 barrels a day, the British owner is bracing for an outpouring of legal costs from the state of Louisiana and beyond. Stephen Beard reports.

Congress's Haiti Economic Lift Program, or HELP act, would lift import duties on Haitian textiles to be sold in the U.S. Textiles and apparel make up more than 80 percent of Haiti's exports. Jeff Tyler reports.

United and Continental Airlines have been talking about a merger for years, and now they could officially join forces as soon as Monday. The deal would create the world's biggest carrier. Jennifer Collins reports.

Congressional lawmakers introduced a bill that would require companies to publicly put their name on election ads, a decision which counters a Supreme Court ruling. Brett Neely reports.

If you're grabbing a coffee in the Big Apple, raise a cup to Leslie Buck. The 87-year-old paper-cup company executive and Holocaust survivor, who…

Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, April 30, 2010

Marketplace for Friday, April 30, 2010

Marketplace Tech Report for April 30, 2010

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.

Jon Gordon says farewell to Future Tense, and welcomes a new host.

Conan O'Brien has given his first post-Tonight Show interview to "60 Minutes." The interview airs this Sunday, May 2nd. NBC apparently prohibited O…

The Adobe response to Jobs' Flash letter. Anyone else feel an urge to look away?

Oysterman Sal Sunseri first spoke with us after Katrina shut down his business. Tess Vigeland talks with him about the latest threat to his oysters.

David Letterman is teaming up with Capitol Records to start a record label. Alisa Roth reports.

Social critic Andrew Potter talks with Tess Vigeland about his new book "The Authenticity Hoax," and calls into question why people shop organic, buy distressed jeans and make their own compost.

Moonshine is no longer confined to just Appalachia anymore. Hipsters and foodies around the U.S. are starting to acquire a taste for it, which is giving rise to a whole new industry of microdistillers. Anna Sale reports.

The government says the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is five times worse than originally thought. With 5,000 barrels of oil leaking every day, the spill is prompting new questions about the Obama administration's plan to expand offshore drilling. Jill Barshay reports.

The Senate began wading through amendments to a bill that could become the most comprehensive restructuring of financial oversight since the Great Depression. John Dimsdale reports.

Congress has been voting to keep unemployment benefits flowing with several extensions. But there is a limit for people who've been unemployed the longest. In states with the worst unemployment figures, that limit is now 99 weeks. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Question: My 25 year old son, Jason, has always bought everything with cash and now finds himself unable to get a credit card even from his own…

Well, of course Ze Frank is one of the top people on the whole interweb. Smart, funny, humane, extraordinarily talented. So he made that song tha…

I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe's Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash …

A report out today says by the end of the decade, nearly 20 percent more jobs will require a Master's or PhD. But graduation rates are low for PhD's, and few minority students go beyond an undergraduate education. Mitchell Hartman reports.

New legislation in Australia would forbid tobacco companies from using colorful images and logos to sell cigarettes. The bill would be the boldest crackdown on cigarette advertising worldwide.

British voters hit the polls next week, and politicians are duking it out in the U.K.'s first election to use Facebook and Twitter. They're also finding the traditional campaign poster to be very effective. Christopher Werth reports.

Arizona is facing a big backlash over its immigration law, as we reported. But now even businesses with loose associations to Arizona are bearing…

Two million first-time homebuyers took advantage of the tax incentive program which ends this Friday. But did it really stimulate the housing market? A new survey says consumers seem to think so. Brett Neely reports.

BP is spending $6 million a day cleaning up the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and rival Shell has pitched a half-dozen vessels into the effort. Both companies have a lot at stake in the mess. Stephen Beard reports.

A report out today says by the end of the decade, nearly 20 percent more jobs will require a Master's or PhD. But graduation rates are low for PhD's, and few minority students go beyond an undergraduate education. Mitchell Hartman reports.

A new airline rule says that carriers will be fined more than $25,000 per passenger if they're kept waiting on the tarmac for more than three hours. But some experts say that doesn't address inadequacies in the system. Alisa Roth reports.

The National Milk Producers Federation is very protective about the use of the word "milk." USA Today reports they've written the FDA for the sec…

Senate Republicans have agreed to let the debate on financial reform proceed after Democrats made a handful of concessions. Bob Moon talks to Marketplace's Nancy Marshall Genzer about where compromises were made.

Marketplace for Thursday, April 29, 2010

Marketplace Tech Report for April 29, 2010

Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday, April 29, 2010

Looking at the stylized differences among political blogs, and how that affects the readers.

If you're planning to buy a McDonald's Happy Meal for your kid in California's Silicon Valley sometime soon, don't expect to get a toy….

On today's show, we talked about the potential sale of Palm and indicated that no one appeared to be rushing forth with a checkbook to buy the…

Kentucky Fried Chicken has launched a campaign to fight breast cancer with big pink buckets of chicken….

President Obama continued his two-day trip through rural America to talk about his economic efforts, clean-energy plans and the need to reform the…

Question: I understand that merchants are paying a 1 to 5 percent transaction fee every time I use my credit card. It would seem logical that I…

At a Senate hearing, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein was asked if his bank had an obligation to tell clients they were being sold a shoddy product. Blankein said investors knew what they were getting into. If he's right, why would anyone want to bet against them? Jeremy Hobson reports.

Commentator David Frum recently returned from a State Department-sponsored tour of Chinese universities, and says many students expressed concern over U.S. pressure on China to "up value" its currency.

In Germany, women are almost completely absent from boardrooms. Now one company is doing something about it. Kyle James reports.

BBC sports commentator Matthew Syed talks with Tess Vigeland about his new book "Bounce," and what lies behind success and excellence in sports and other endeavors.

Spain became the third European country in two days to have its bond rating downgraded. European bureau chief Stephen Beard talks with Tess Vigeland about what implications that move will have and the latest rescue package for Greece.

Strong profits from big companies sent the stock market up today, and one of them was Dow Chemical. Its net income surged almost 2300%. Jill Barshay reports.

The U.S. Coast Guard set fire to parts of a giant oil slick that is spreading just off the Louisiana coast. Burning the oil is designed to keep it from drifting into coastal estuaries and wetlands filled with wildlife. John Dimsdale reports clean-up crews are facing no easy choices.

New high school graduates are choosing college more than ever. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that 70.1 percent of the class of 2009 high…

A Chinese ruling to place a tariff on U.S. chicken could make the fowl as much as 30 percent more expensive. But the real object of desire are the chicken feet, and the tariff is a way to send a message to the U.S. Scott Tong reports.

Ever since the term "too big to fail" became popular, short-term interest rates have been kept at or near zero. But Federal Reserve Board members will meet today to discuss whether it's time to raise them. John Dimsdale reports.

The Federal Trade Commission is balancing out a rise in advertising with a program to help kids recognize ads and decipher their meaning. But some say more cognition won't matter where emotions are involved. Alisa Roth reports.

Germany wants Greece to make deep budget cuts in order to go forward with its part of the bailout loan. But the Greek government will not have an easy time selling spending cuts to an angry public. Joanna Kakissis reports.

When the Texas legislature meets again, they could face a budget shortfall of up to $17 billion, which means it'll be time to "scrub" the budget. Ben Philpott explores ways officials have reduced their bottom lines.

Top-level Goldman Sachs bankers denied any wrongdoing in the Senate when faced with charges of fraud. The investigation continues into the legality of their actions leading up to the financial crisis. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

European financial officials meet today to discuss a bailout for Greece, which is dealing with junk debt and growing economic peril. Stephen Beard explains how Greece's financial crisis affects the rest of the world.

Marketplace Morning Report for Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Marketplace Tech Report for April 28, 2010

Marketplace for Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Looking at the stylized differences among political blogs, and how that affects the readers.

When Palm rolled out the Palm Pre smart phone last summer, it looked like a serious challenger to the iPhone. Critics loved it, especially its Web…

The oil rig explosion off the Louisiana coast continues to spew thousands of gallons of oil daily. While the cause of the incident remains to be…

A report released by the Mortgage Asset Research Institute showed that mortgage fraud is still on the rise. Mortgage fraud incidents increased 7…

Question: In May 2009, I sold some real estate and the proceeds were significant (over $100K). I wanted to use the money for a downpayment on…

Tess Vigeland reviews what listeners had to say about stories involving Gizmodo acquiring Apple's new iPhone model, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission grilling Wall Street execs, a doctor's take on health care reform, and plain language.

Arizona's tough new legislation targeting undocumented immigrants has made the state itself a target. Jeff Tyler reports.

In 1950, nearly two million people called Detroit home. Today, the Motor City has less than half that number. So local officials are considering shutting down whole swaths of the city and moving residents to more viable areas. Sarah Hulett reports.

At least 15 million people are out of work in the U.S., so many are heading to a job fair. But has the form and function of job fairs changed during the Great Recession? Andrea Gardner reports.

The oil slick from a platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico is due to reach shore by the weekend. It could wreak havoc on the coastlines of four states. Sarah Gardner reports on the fallout for British Petroleum.

Most credit default swaps were designed for corporate and mortgage bonds, but now they're being sold on muni-bonds to investors who think state and local governments are heading the way of the housing market. Brett Neely reports.

Goldman Sachs officials appeared at a Senate hearing, defending themselves against fire over some of the trades the bank was involved in leading up to the financial crisis. The hearing is unrelated to the SEC'S fraud investigation, but the topic was still front and center.

On the last episode of the show we talked about the changes to Facebook that make your life on the social media site even more public. We also…

The marketing rights for Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang are changing hands….

Dunkin' Donuts is coming back to Russia after leaving the country in 1999. It will open its first of 20 planned stores in Moscow. The move comes 11…