Week of October 25th, 2010

Home buying is far from easy, especially in this economy and in the big cities. So how to navigate the treacherous home buying seas? Marketplace senior business correspondent Bob Moon gives some tips.

Marketplace Tech Report for October 29, 2010

The idea of a company like Google teaming up with an institution like television is immediately appealing. But now that Google TV products are actually here, viewers are being blocked from seeing a lot of their favorite show. What gives?

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is starting to get organized, and it may begin to look toward citizens to help it out. It's a crowd-sourcing idea — with people using online technology to report wrongdoings.

Network television station Fox is usually known for its ability to attract young viewers in the ever-important 18- to 34-year-old range. But having already canceled one show and others in danger, is the network getting old? Jennifer Collins reports.

There are a lot of investment options out there — but have you ever considered weather? The Chicago Mercantile Exchange has, and starting today, you can invest in rain futures. But are you any better at predicting weather than your weatherman?

The "What is Rich?" show got a lot of listeners talking. Tess Vigeland and senior producer Deborah Clark go over the comments.

Posted by Chau Tu…

An observation of what didn't happen on Wall Street on the non-economic news of the day. Reports, confirmed this afternoon by the White House, say…

Posted by Chau Tu…

We could soon see the second coming of a poster child for the mortgage mess. Miami-based BankUnited went belly up after filling up on risky adjustable rate mortgages. Then the government swooped in and sold BankUnited to a group of private equity firms. Now those investors have announced they're ready to take the bank public. Janet Babin reports.

Professor John Quiggin, author of "Zombie Economics," talks with Kai Ryssdal about how some economic ideas can be zombies — theories that refuse to die no matter how wrong they prove to be.

Lost in all of the TV coverage of the midterm election is this: November is a pretty important month for TV folks too because of sweeps. TV producers and writers tend to save their best stuff for this period. And that was true for commentator and co-creator of "Lost," Damon Lindelof.

Spanish language network Univision has been making big gains in 18 to 34-year-old viewers this year, due in part to steamy soap operas know, as telenovelas. Univision has also attracted a growing share of advertisers. But as Jennifer Collins reports, a telenovela debuting Monday takes that to a whole new level.

Despite today's news that the U.S.'s gross domestic product has grown for the fifth straight quarter, the White House warns that faster growth needs to occur to get unemployment down. Marketplace senior business correspondent Bob Moon explains the factors behind it all.

Rock stars may party hard at night, but many rockers — including successful ones — roll out of bed and work in an office in the day time. Marketplace's Jeff Tyler — a former rocker himself — takes a look at rock stars and their day jobs.

Leigh Gallagher from Fortune Magazine and John Carney from CNBC talk with Kai Ryssdal about the big news that will happen next week: midterm elections, and the Federal Reserve's next attempt to try and turn things around economically with its latest quantitative easing plan.

The White House panel investigating the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico says British oil giant BP may not be the only one to blame. The panel's chief investigator claims Halliburton didn't clearly inform BP the cement mix it used on the well was unstable.

The gross domestic product reading, or GDP was 2 percent today. That's not quite what analysts were expecting. Nancy Marshall Genzer explains.

The U.S. gross domestic product grew at a 2 percent clip, somewhat less than analysts were expecting. On the election ballot in San Francisco –…

That's one theory researcher Craig Hogan wants to test by using two of the world's most precise clocks being built now. Craig is a particle…

Last quarter's GDP numbers came out, and we saw a 2 percent growth. According to Chris Low, this is good growth, but it needs to get better.

The nation's economy grew at a 2 percent clip, which is a little less than analysts were expecting. Jill Schlesinger has more.

Posted by Katharine Crnko…

Halliburton admitted it never performed a crucial test of the final cement mixture used on the Gulf of Mexico oil rig that exploded in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. A government panel, commissioned by President Obama to investigate the spill, found that Halliburton failed to warn BP that its cement mixture may be unstable.

Historically, Mac users have been incredibly smug about the fact that most viruses infect PCs instead of Macs. Their smugness, if harnessed, could…

Engineers have installed a 3G base station at the 5200 meter mark of Mt. Everest, giving the mountain complete coverage, even at the summit of 8848…

American automaker General Motors is expected to go public next month. This all in an effort to repay its government bailout money. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

The White House panel investigating the oil spill in the Gulf has found that Halliburton knew the cement they used was unstable. The panel also found that BP failed to test the cement prior to its use. Stephen Beard has more.

In Europe, sponsors reign supreme for sporting teams. Freakonomics Radio's Stephen Dubner explains the difference in American sports.

Question: My husband and I have been doing the right things financially – no debt, saving for retirement, saving for college and have adequate life…

During the recession, businesses tightened their wallets, and business travel fell dramatically, hitting the airline industry.

More from BP and Halliburton today after U.S. commissions investigation found that Halliburton knew the cement used on the oil well in the Gult was unstable. BP admits they did not test the cement after Halliburton made a last minute change in the mix. Stephen Beard has more.

A panel appointed by President Obama to investigate the Gulf oil spill found that contractor Halliburton was aware the cement mix used on the well was unstable. Stephen Beard has more.

Consumers, not just federal regulators, are likely to be watchdogs of financial abuses for the new U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau….

Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, October 29, 2010

Marketplace for Friday, October 29, 2010

The federal government has been hailing high speed rail systems as the mode of transportation of the future. But considering the trains will have to share lines with freight trains, is it really the smart choice? Andrea Gardner reports.

Voters in San Francisco are facing a law on the Election Day ballot that could restrict people lying on sidewalks overnight. Business owners in popular areas like Haight Street seem split on the issue. April Dembosky reports.

Among growing trends online are hyper-local news websites where volunteers post updated news and events with their community. Meanwhile, qualified and paid journalists are losing their jobs. Is this the future of journalism? Adriene Hill reports.

A key initiative on Florida's ballot next week will allow citizens to have final say over their communities' land-use plans. In the meantime, developers have been scrambling to get their project approved before Election Day. Tom Parkinson reports.

DVD rental systems have changed drastically in the past decades, from Blockbuster to Netflix to Redbox. Can libraries — currently suffering from e-book popularity — follow in the steps of the DVD? Mitchell Hartman reports.

Marketplace Money for Friday, October 29, 2010

Elizabeth Warren is the guiding force behind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – now under construction in Washington. This week, she shar…

Posted by Chau Tu…

Haiti is back in the spotlight again because of a cholera outbreak. So what happened to the billions that were donated to the island nation? Dr. Una Osili from the Center of Philanthropy talks with Tess Vigeland about what to realistically expect from donations you make.

Commentator Gustavo Arellano gives advice to politicians on how to really draw in the Latino vote.

How do we fix the economy? It's not easy, but Glenn Hubbard, dean of Columbia University's business school and former George W. Bush advisor, says Americans need to think about the size of the government.

If you're in a job that might be scarce down the road, you need to be prepared. Reporter Adriene Hill talks with Tess Vigeland about which job fields are expected to grow, which may be squeezed out for good and how to be ready for the job market of the future.

The government rolled out HAMP, a program aimed at reducing mortgage payments for more than three million homeowners, back in 2009. Many still can't meet the payments, though. John Dimsdale reports on what's going wrong.

We've been talking about foreclosures now for years, literally. But who's getting foreclosed on has changed. Adriene Hill reports that in some cases, it's no longer the usual suspects.

This final note today, picking up on my earlier observation about the World Series. Am I the only guy who's been wondering what with those enormous…

Not many details have been released yet about the store, but the chain did say that it will give ALL the profits the store makes to charity. Marketplace's Janet Babin looks at what's in it for the chain.

The Federal Trade Commission voted to have all televisions produced after May 10, 2011 will have to have to sport a tag that'll tell you how energy-efficient that TV is. Marketplace's Eve Troeh reports on whether that tag will sway consumers.

I'm not really sure how much of a difference $25 million makes to a company like Verizon (they'll probably make that in the opening seconds of the…

Well, that's awfully nice. Your shoes are still a tremendous threat. Your bottle of conditioner still places everyone on high alert. But that new…

Some banks are starting to charge fees if you want a paper statement mailed to you. The alternative? Download and print your own — that is unless you don't have Internet access. Economy 4.0's David Brancaccio takes a look at the conundrum some people are in.

Eve Troeh reported today on TVs made after May 10, 2011 will be required to sport an EnergyGuide label. Below is one example of what one type of…

Perhaps the employees who used these excuses were really feeling uneasy about their job security, so they used more — shall we say — creative…

Question: We live in Silicon Valley, where home values have remained fairly steady. In the past 12 years, we've refinanced many times using the…

Image from the Harvard Business Review. Click image to see a larger version…

Wells Fargo will re-file 55,000 problematic foreclosure documents, but will not issue a blanket moratorium. Today, we learned that the number of…

Wells Fargo, the nation's fourth largest bank, announced that it plans to re-file paperwork for 55,000 foreclosures. Jaclyn Giovis reports on this Marketplace web extra.

The number of new people filing for unemployment benefits dropped by about 21,000 last week to 434,000. That is the lowest level since July.

Japanese car maker Nissan said its recalling more than 2 million vehicles for an ignition switch problem. More than a third of those automobiles were sold in the United States, mostly trucks and SUVs. Hans Greimel has more.

My goodness, can we already be seeing Google TV die? First the three major broadcast networks blocked their content from the device/service/thingy,…

Posted by Katharine Crnko…

While the novelty of Chatroulette has worn off and traffic is down from a few months ago, the site is still popular. And riddled with penises. So…

AutoNation CEO says auto industry new car sales are on track to reach 11.5 million units this year. Jaclyn Giovis reports in this Marketplace web extra.

Malicious hackers tend to leave the widely read quasi-tech website BoingBoing.net alone. It has kind of a cheeky approach and has never been anti…

Nissan said Thursday it is recalling 2.14 million vehicles in the U.S., Japan, Europe and Asia for an ignition problem that could cause engines to…

The foreclosure epidemic is getting worse far from where it started. A report from the foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac says foreclosure activity is up sharply in places like Chicago and Seattle. Nancy Marshall Genzer has more.

European leaders meet at a special summit today on the future of the Europe's finances. They're hoping to draw up plans to avoid a repeat of the Greek debt crisis. Stephen Beard reports from London.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged China to clarify its policy on rare earth metals. China produces the vast majority of the world's supply rare earths.

After finding documentation problems, Wells Fargo says it's going to re-file paperwork for 55,000 foreclosures. But it's not going to issue a blanket moratorium on foreclosures. Nancy Marshall Genzer has more.

Airline Quality Rating released its report covering 18 U.S. airlines. Here are the five meanest U.S. airlines.

Marketplace for Thursday, October 28, 2010

Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday, October 28, 2010

Marketplace Tech Report for October 27, 2010

It's not cheap to have a cell phone these days, but many have gotten their phones discounted with their service plans. But it might not turn out to be as great of a deal as you think. Jeremy Hobson talks to the L.A. Times' David Lazarus about the extra tax some states are trying to charge.

Twenty percent of the world's spam email has vanished. Why? Because Russian cops raided the apartment of a guy named Igor Gusev. One guy! And you know who was helping him send those spams? You were.

Kathy Johnson is a small business person in New Hampshire I got to meet covering my story about the trend toward putting financial services onlin…

Retailers big and small are hoping to cash in on the Halloween spirit this season. Eve Troeh reports on why the spooky festivities make for a recession-friendly holiday.

In our latest story in our series about jobs in the future, Adriene Hill reports on biomedical engineering, and how it marks the intersection of the needs of baby boomers and technological advances.

People who have turned to debt settlement services to deal with money problems have usually had to pay an upfront fee. Starting today, however, those fees can't be enforced. David Gura reports on the pros and cons of the new rule.

Tess Vigeland and Kathy Kristof of CBS's Moneywatch answer your questions about tax shelters, real estate as investment and what to do if your employer overmatches your 401(k) and asks for that money back.

For pencil pushers, their bodies can probably keep working until 67, when they can collect full Social Security benefits. But people who use their bodies for work — construction workers, waitresses — they often find themselves to be too young to collect full benefits but too worn down to find more work.

Marketplace Tech Report for October 27, 2010

Next time you're in a coffee shop using their Wi-Fi, you might want to avoid going on Facebook. Or Twitter. Or lots of other sites. That's because of a new Firefox add-on called Firesheep.

The Fed is expected to announce soon its plans for continuing to fix the U.S. economy. Will it push another $1.5 trillion? Experts say this may not be the best idea, and John Dimsdale explains why.

Businesses big and small are still trying to figure out a way to dig themselves out of a hole. Some are choosing to lower prices, in hopes of luring customers into stores, but a new study shows that this might not be the best strategy. Alisa Roth reports.

Title: White House Diary Author: Jimmy Carter Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Type: Biography Released: September 20, 2010 Length: 592…

Posted by Chau Tu…

It's on UStream….

This final note today. I know the economic news has been a little bleak lately, housing and jobs and all that. And I apologize if we've been…

You may recall that Google was found to be gathering data from unsecured Wi-Fi networks while out taking pictures for Google Street View. They say…

Kai Ryssdal reads your letters about what you thought of stories we aired. Also, a small correction.

Myspace has been losing members to Facebook since its heyday back in 2004. So the website is changing courses: Myspace announced that it will move from being a social networking website to a "social entertainment" website.

For some economists, less working hours may be just the thing to lower the unemployment rate. Marketplace's Adriene Hill weighs the pros and cons of this idea.