Week of December 20th, 2010

Thinking of gifting someone "The 12 Days of Christmas" this year? Well you better be well-off. Sean Cole investigates the true price of the song.

When the new Congress meets in January, Republicans are expected to adopt a "cut as you go" plan. It's a belief that tax cuts do not have to be offset with spending cuts. John Dimsdale reports.

Pharmaceutical companies paid billions in fines last year for off-label marketing, when drugs are promoted for a use that hasn't been approved by the FDA. But the large fines haven't stopped some companies from continuing the practice.

Settlement advance companies take a gamble on lawsuits, advancing people money for a lawsuit and not asking anything in return if the person loses. But the advance money comes with high interest rates that violate Colorado's limits, and so the attorney general is suing.

With the fall of the stock market and the Great Recession, everyone from the very wealthy to the not-wealthy felt losses. How much were people really affected? Ted Klontz and Robert Frank discuss with Tess Vigeland.

How we each individually live our lives often depends on how we see our peers live their lives. For people making $250,000 a year, or the top 2 percent income in the country, that means probably surrounding themselves with even richer people. And that's why there was a debate over taxes, says the New Yorker's James Surowiecki.

In a second question posed to financial psychologist Ted Klontz and the Wall Street Journal's Robert Frank, Tess Vigeland asks what it is that makes people feel wealthy. It turns out, the fact that many don't believe they're rich may be the problem.

With money comes a lot of responsibility, and that's what many have learned the hard way. Depending on how you got rich also seems to play a role in how you handle it. Mitchell Hartman reports.

The number of $250,000 a year has been thrown around by politicians as being "wealthy" and "rich." But is it really? Tess Vigeland talks to financial psychologist Ted Klontz and the Wall Street Journal's Robert Frank about wealth in America.

The American Dream — the belief that anyone can work their way up the ladder to prosperity — is deeply intertwined into U.S. culture. But it's also deeply affecting our thoughts about income taxes, says commentator Felix Salmon, and we need to become more realistic.

Posted by Daryl Paranada…

An observation about the spirit of the season. I learned today a 1983 South African Krugerrand is worth about $1,400. I know that because somebod…

It's easy for Christmas to become the most environmentally unfriendly day of the year–all the tchotchkes, shiny paper, ribbons, and lots and lot…

Is one of your favorite holiday songs "Christmas Wrapping?" Nate DiMeo has the story behind the music of this semi-holiday classic and two decades of Christmas bonuses.

Deciding what to get someone at Christmas and how many people to give gifts to can be torture for some. Gift cards and cash just lessen the pain. But is a giving someone a gift certificate or money soulless? Sarah Gardner goes shopping for some answers.

A survey out not too long ago showed almost half of Americans are still paying off the credit-card bills we racked up last December. So what happens when you are facing severe debt right before the shopping frenzy begins? We've got the story of one woman who faced Christmas being $50,000 in debt.

Heidi Moore from The Dealbook at The New York Times and Felix Salmon from Reuters talk with Kai Ryssdal about where things stand economically, whether they believe President Obama's statement that the economy will be his singular focus, and the latest scandal with Merrill Lynch.

The National Retail Federation predicts sales this holiday shopping season will come in 3.3% higher than last year. But not everyone is celebrating this time of year. What's the season like for people who don't celebrate Christmas? Mitchell Hartman reports.

Developments in Greece have caused some alarm: The cost of insuring against a default by the Greek government soared. This followed reports that Greece is planning to "restructure" some of its loans. Stephen Beard reports.

It has been a strange year for the economy. The markets are back at pre-recession highs. Companies have reported strong earnings. But unemployment remains high and the housing market is still sputtering. What will the next year hold?

Today we spoke to Jill Schlesinger, as we look forward to 2011. Stock prices are ending the year at their highest level since the collapse of…

The west African state of Ivory Coast is still without a new President. The old president Laurent Gbagbo has refused to leave office despite losing the election almost a month ago. Now he won't have access to the country's bank account. The Central Bank of West African States decided to recognize his opponent.

Portugal is the latest country to have its debt downgraded. Following on the heels of Hungary and Ireland. And now the cost of insuring against a default by the Greek government has soared to an all time high.

Stock prices are ending the year at their highest level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Markets both here and in Europe have enjoyed a powerful pre-Christmas rally.

Marketplace Tech Report for December 24, 2010

Marketplace for Friday, December 24, 2010

Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, December 24, 2010

Marketplace Money for December 24, 2010

Tonight, Santa Claus will be getting a lot of work done. First, he'll go to one house, slide down the chimney, place toys beneath a tree, maybe nibble a cookie, feed a carrot to a reindeer. Then he'll repeat the process ZILLIONS of times. All in a few hours. What technology does Santa use to get all that done?

Nintendo's wireless Wii system was a big hit a couple years ago, appealing most to usual non-gamers for its ease. But this season, sales are down nearly a quarter. Sally Herships reports.

Earmark, pork barrel, filibuster: we hear these words all the time in politics, but where did they come from? Steve Chiotakis talks to the Oxford English Dictionary's Jesse Sheidlower.

Gasoline prices are rising all across the U.S., and some are worried that consumers may begin to rein in their spending as a result, and bring the improving economy down again. John Dimsdale reports.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has before expressed his interest in bringing the social network to China, but he does face some obstacles. Steve Henn reports.

Posted by Chau Tu…

Congress failed to pass a climate change bill this year, so the EPA is taking charge. The agency announced it's going to start coming out with new rules to regulate greenhouse gas emissions next year. Scott Tong reports.

Marketplace's health reporter Gregory Warner talks with Kai Ryssdal about the tumultuous year in health care — whether the recent court case in Virginia is taking health care off track, what's being done to control costs, and what we can expect in 2011.

People rarely think about how much energy they're using to look up directions on their smartphone or a quick factoid on their netbook. But Internet-related energy use is rising rapidly in the U.S.

Posted by Chau Tu…

This final note today, a comment on the value of being left alone, or at least not being observed while you're online….

Like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Toby Ord is promising to give most of his wealth away during his lifetime. But unlike Zuckerberg, Ord is not rich. The university researcher earns just a bit more than Britain's average wage. Stephen Beard reports.

Investors, like private equity firms, are eyeing companies like Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. Prices are still low and there's signs that the economy is slowly, but surely, in recovery.

Bright lights may be a key part of people's holidays, but tight budgets are pushing many people and municipalities to use LED lights. For a slightly dimmer Christmas tree, you can save a lot on your electricity bill.

YokyWorks is a nonprofit that develops useful contraptions for disabled children. Marketplace's Steve Henn talks to the founder of the nonprofit and sees a YokyWork gadget at work.

My first reaction to using Twitter to divine the market's next move was, You've got to be kidding? My second thought was, What if there is…

There is an onion crisis in India. Onions are a primary ingredient in the making of the all important curry dish. Prices have more than doubled in the last few days.

Consumers were feeling slightly more confident last month, which also helped boost the manufacturing sector. Stacey Vanek-Smith talks to economist Diane Swonk.

This isn't what you'd call great journalism. Or even, arguably, journalism. Nonetheless, welcome to the internet. Here we go: an anonymous source…

The popular internet telephony service crashed hard yesterday, booting millions of users offline. As of today, the service is staggering back to…

Today, Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics released a list of 55 U.S. organized according to how cost effective it is to rent a home, rather than buy….

Posted by Katharine Crnko…

Plastic is back. And a new study shows Americans got a lot more credit card offers this year than last year. Eve Troeh explains.

Question: I'm nearing retirement and I'm aware of the standard advice that I should be putting an increasing portion of my investments (in my case,…

Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics has released a list of 55 U.S. cities organized according to how cost effective it is to rent a home, rather than…

A senior Chinese official said he sees the Eurozone as a major market for investment. Could Chinese investment solve Europe's economic woes? Stephen Beard explains.

Many of us will greet the New Year with champagne and a new set of resolutions for 2011. Some resolutions are specific to the times: get out of…

You might have seen comedian and actor Paul F. Tompkins in a lot of places. Maybe as host of VH-1's Best Week Ever or in appearances on The Daily…

Marketplace Tech Report for December 23, 2010

Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday, December 23, 2010

Marketplace for Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Internet was set up to be an open marketplace of ideas. But that model is in jeopardy due to Distributed Denial of Service or DDoS attacks. We've been hearing a lot about these in relation to Wikileaks, but a new report indicates that DDoS attacks as a form of suppression are on the rise.

The AARP released a report today that gauges how baby boomers are going about retirement. A trend of working past the age of 65 might turn out to be good for Uncle Sam, reports Bob Moon.

Stacey Vanek Smith talks with the L.A. Times' consumer columnist David Lazarus about why consumer spending's up this season, and what to be wary of when you're out shopping.

'Tis the season for gift giving but do you know exactly what you're buying? Marketplace reporter Adriene Hill ventures out on a shopping expedition to find out which holiday gifts are as green as they say to be.

There has been some talk that the municipal bond market is going to bring trouble, and an analyst predicts hundreds of billions of dollars in defaults. Janet Babin looks into the matter.

While the Obama administration tries to stick up for American wind power, one major investor is taking it out of his plan for America's future. Scott Tong reports.

There's been a small bump in home sales this past quarter, but that's still below economist expectations. Mitchell Hartman looks into how different things might look if the housing market were normal right now.

Marketplace Tech Report for December 22, 2010

There's this video going around, 2.5 million hits on YouTube. It's for a new app called Word Lens. You point your camera at words like on a sign and it translates them into a different language. You see Spanish words on your phone where English words are in real life. Kind of amazing. But it may become completely normal.

Posted by Chau Tu…

This final note today, which I do believe qualifies as this week's sign the apocalypse is upon us. Y'know snuggies, those somewhat ridiculous loo…

Kai Ryssdal talks to China bureau chief Rob Schmitz about China's rapid growth, the problems it is causing, and what the government plans to do about it.

American Airlines pulled out from Orbitz, the airline tickets deals website, and other airlines are following suit and pulling out of similar sites too. This may affect how travelers buy their passes.

Kai Ryssdal reads your letters responding our stories on disappearing cube space and how to avoid unwanted gifts.

It's hard enough to flag down a salesperson to help you get a different-sized tee, but to receive a thank you card from them? It's the latest strategy some brands and stores are utilizing to keep customers around.

Marketplace commentator David Frum talks about why Americans will keep on saving even after the economy recovers.

U.S. Gross Domestic Product grew 2.6 percent in the third quarter. Richard DeKaser has more.

All the good sales used to be after Christmas. But after the financial crisis, stores got desperate, and they started having sales before Christmas. So will last-minute bargain-hunters find the deals they're looking for?

Yes, that's what they're really calling it. Works out since it's both the acronym of the name of the task force and what CIA employees are saying…

In a 3-2 vote, the FCC voted to adopt new rules about how broadband and wireless carriers treat web traffic and services. A lot of people are…

It always seemed a little odd to me that Microsoft was said to be launching new tablets that ran on the same year-old operating system that they…

Our friends at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society say that the number of online attacks intended to shut down human rights groups'…

… "sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air…and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off….

Social Security is going paperless. My 85 year old Mom won't be happy. She has nothing against progress, but she trusts paper more than electronics…

U.S. Gross Domestic Product grew 2.6 percent in the third quarter. Stacey Vanek Smith spoke to Richard DeKaser, who explained while this is a good…

Posted by Katharine Crnko…

If you are traveling this holiday season, chances are you booked your flight online. But now a major airline is opting out of a discount travel site entirely. Eve Troeh reports.

Question: As someone with about 48,000 in an undergrad loan for Bus Admin in Accounting who wants to retire early, would it make sense to take on…

There's a new global survey that shows even the world's richest economies don't necessarily feature the planet's happiest people.

German financial giant Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay more than half a billion dollars to settle a tax evasion case here in the U.S. Stephen Beard explains.

A new report finds cities in pretty serious trouble. Financial analyst Meredith Whitney says we're about to see another economic crisis because of local economies failing. Eve Troeh has more.

Marketplace Morning Report for Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Marketplace for Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Promising startups in technology and research and development are expected to get more support next year.

A new EPA rule from the fall allowed for more ethanol to be mixed in with gasoline, but now automakers are suing, stating that the new blends aren't safe for cars.

Searching for that last-minute gift? You might find those store shelves empty. Retailers, in anticipation of low shopping numbers, ordered less stock this year, just to play it safe.

The FCC voted on new rules for net neutrality today, prohibiting unreasonable discrimination on the Internet. But as Janet Babin reports, there still might be enough loopholes to allow advantages.

The official numbers from the 2010 U.S. Census were released today. Mitchell Hartman takes a look at what the results say about the U.S. as a whole.

Posted by Chau Tu…