Week of February 28th, 2011

Marketplace Tech Report host John Moe talks about Facebook's new policy that allows its app developers to obtain phone and address information if users choose to opt in.

Home solar panels are quickly getting cheaper in the U.S. thanks to companies that lease them to homeowners, instead of selling them.

Are you one of the few that still have a pension? Lucky you! More and more companies are ending pensions are opting for 401(k)-style plans and that isn't the greatest news for many.

Now although I've already done my taxes – yeah I know it's a little out of control – many of you might have lingering questions about your taxes….

Tess Vigeland talks to Dr. Richard Settersten, co-author of "Not Quite Adults," about why today's young adults are taking a longer path towards adulthood.

Duke University professor of economics and Islamic studies Timur Kuran talks about how Islamic law has held back business development in the Middle East.

Maybe you've heard about the Millennial Generation invading offices with their flip flops and their Facebook breaks? In our guest blog post, Reena…

You might want to think twice about whipping out your iPhone or Android while waiting in line at the grocery store. Hackers are now targeting smart phones to get your passwords, credit card data and even your exact location.

Slow growth in employment is still a concern.

This final note today. Come with me now back to 1987. Duff McKagan was the hard-partying bassist for Guns N' Roses. A few years later, an interest…

Title: The Long Divergence Author: Timur Kuran Publisher: Princeton University Press Type: Non Fiction Released: November 15, 2010 Length: 4…

Marketplace Money host Tess Vigeland and Chris Farrell answer listener questions. On the show this week, we'll find all about long term care insurance, how difficult it'll be to get rid of a timeshare and whether it's ever a good idea to stop contributing to a 401k account.

Host Tess Vigeland and senior producer Deborah Clark dig in the Marketplace Money mail bag and respond to listener comments.

Commentator Samantha Barnes describes what it's like to readjust to a new identity when you're forced to take a new, less quality job.

What's a good way to lose money in the market? Buy high and sell low. A surprising number of people are doing exactly that. Jason Zweig, of the Wall Street Journal, talks about this emerging class of so-called "Sheepish Bulls."

Kai Ryssdal talks to Cardiff Garcia from the Financial Times and Felix Salmon from Reuters about the jobs numbers out today, and the possibility of a government shutdown.

With oil prices at just about $103 a barrel, some members of Congress are asking President Obama to open the nation's strategic oil reserve in an effort to bring down the cost of gasoline.

On Monday's show we talk about advances in bioprinting. It's the technique of printing new skin cells using a regular old ink jet cartridge. Or of…

Tess' conversation with Jason Zweig of the Wall Street Journal about Sheepish Bulls is a timely reminder just how poorly most of us are at…

Posted by Christina Huh…

Posted by Chau Tu…

Former Haitian leader Jean-Claude Duvalier returned to Haiti in January after living in exile for 25 years. Why did he return?

Saudi Arabia has not seen the sort of mass protests taking place in Yemen or Bahrain but Saudi exiles in London say change is inevitable.

With oil prices at just about $103 a barrel, some members of Congress are asking President Obama to open the nation's strategic oil reserve in an effort to bring down the cost of gasoline.

The chief economist at FTN Financial examines today's job report from the U.S. Labor Department. When unemployment is down, cuts to government jobs at the state and local level could hurt the economy's long-term recovery.

U.S. Labor Department has released its job report for February, and for the first time in two years unemployment is below 9 percent. But analysts are worried jobs aren't being created fast enough.

Posted by Katharine Crnko…

We've seen a lot of loud, violent protests in Greece over mounting debt and budget cuts. Now, thousands of Greeks have decided on a quieter type of protest.

We got big numbers today from the U.S. Labor Department. In February, U.S. payrolls increased 192,000 and the jobless rate fell to 8.9 percent –…

U.S. employers added 192,000 workers and the unemployment rate declined to 8.9 percent in February — the lowest level since April 2009. Jill Schlesinger from CBS/MoneyWatch explains.

The government of China says it will track the movements of 17 million citizens in Beijing. The government says they're doing it in hopes of…

Really? Look, Microsoft once owned the world of technology. The PC was the only computer anyone owned. But they are moving at an almost…

Twitter is changing its terms of service. Might not make a big difference to you and me as we tweet about the tv show we're watching or what we're…

PBS is working on a project to design augmented reality games for kids four or five years old. …

Check this out. So Charlie Sheen goes nuts and starts talking about how he's "winning". Uses the term a lot. And it's hilarious because he's having…

(This item is brought to you by George Lucas's internal monologue)…

Question: My husband and I received a little money over the holidays, specifically $1000, and we are trying to determine what the best thing to do…

Question: I am a volunteer volleyball coach for a local middle school here in Nevada City. Last year, the school generously gave me $300 for my w…

Although today's jobs report should reveal more jobs added than we've seen in a long time, don't expect unemployment to reach pre-recession levels soon.

President Barack Obama and Mexico's President Felipe Calderon announced that they have agreed to allow Mexican trucks on American highways. The deal needs congressional approval. Nancy Marshall Genzer explains.

The National Basketball Association wants to create a new team in Europe. This weekend's games will show off the league's global reach.

Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, March 4, 2011

Marketplace Money for Friday, March 4, 2011

Marketplace for March 4, 2011

Marketplace Tech Report for March 04, 2011

Should teachers and students be friends on Facebook? Should they be allowed to send each other private text messages? These are questions that parents, and the state of Virginia, are wrestling with.

2011 could be a banner year for pirate attacks, and the violence could get worse, as well.

This week we go to Pasadena, Calif. to look in the wallet of Kevin McManus.

As I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed this week, I noticed that a large chunk of my college friends had joined a new group — "Charlie…

U.S. employers added 192,000 workers in February and the unemployment rate declined to 8.9 percent — the lowest level since April 2009. The illu…

The football players' union may dissolve itself to put owners at risk of anti-trust suits.

Posted by Chau Tu…

This final note today. As negotiations between NFL team owners and the players association count down to a midnight deadline tonight, President…

When the Washington Media Group signed a contract to drum up tourism for Tunisia, they thought the country had a good story to tell. When the story turned sour, they broke it.

Title: The Day After Tomorrow: Images of Our Earth in Crisis Author: J Henry Fair Publisher: powerHouse Books Type: Non Fiction Released: Feb…

A United Nations food agency said today that global food prices reached record highs in February, and warned that rising oil prices could prompt…

In a story today on Marketplace, reporter David Gura explores why the PR firm, Washington Media Group, decided to break a half-million-dollar con…

J Henry Fair's photographs uniquely capture the human impact on the landscape. Yet there is a rich history of artists and photographers that have…

The Obama Administration's Home Affordable Modification Program soon could be killed in the House.

Alcoholism is costing Russian society and the Russian economy billions in lost income and lost lives every year. From Moscow comes the tale of a tiny pill that's scaring Russians into giving up the alcohol that's killing them.

Britain, France and Spain are among the European nations helping foreign workers who fled violence in Libya get back to their home countries.

Shortages and price shocks have helped along protests in the Middle East. One factor in rising food prices is climate change, says the Earth Policy Institute.

Increased productivity from employees is good, but at some point employers need to hire more of them.

Unrest in Libya continues, and as stranded workers wait to return to their countries, Britain and France have volunteered aircraft to evacuate…

The United Nations is reporting a 2.2 percent increase in its Food Price Index for February. This is the highest level recorded since the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) began monitoring prices in 1990.

A chief economist at Mesirow Financial says today's workers are extremely productive. But how long we can expect this level of worker productivity to continue?

The Securities and Exchange Commission may propose dropping credit rating agencies for a new method for evaluating their portfolios. Nancy Marshall Genzer explains.

Posted by Katharine Crnko…

Twitter pioneer and Dude Where's My Car star (there's an odd combination) Ashton Kutcher's Twitter account was apparently hacked at the TED…

Today, Gov. Chris Christie will decide whether to allow New Jersey residents to gamble online. Something that's illegal on the federal level, but…

We're coming up on the 10 year anniversary of September 11th, and there's still a lot of squabbling about creating a separate network for public…

Richard Fisher, president of the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas, responds to concerns that higher gas and oil prices could lead to slower economic growth and a double-dip recession.

Are gas prices starting to burn a hole in your pocket? Oil has hit $100 a barrel as turmoil in the Middle East continues to shake up the global…

Question: Hi, Chris. Recently I returned to corporate life after seven years of working for myself. A few years ago I moved my 401(k) account…

Thousands of fleeing Egyptian workers stranded in Tunisia on the Libyan border will be repatriated, in hopes of limiting the number of refugees flowing into Europe

Here's a disturbing number: The Internal Revenue Service filed liens against 1.1 million taxpayers in fiscal 2010. That's up from 168,000 in 1999….

The U.S. Labor Department will release its February jobs report on Friday. And that got us thinking about – location, location, location. The…

Marketplace for March 3, 2011

Marketplace Tech Report for March 03, 2011

Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday, March 3, 2011

Dozens of apps for Android devices have been taken out of circulation by Google. They were apps that can take control of your phone without your even realizing it.

Bing has overtaken Yahoo with the second largest amount of search traffic in the world. But Google is still far in the lead.

Border collies and other sheepdogs run into trouble because of their boundless energy. But some farmers get paid to let those dogs herd a real flock of sheep.

The House GOP looks at whether the financial reform law will hurt small banks and businesses.

G.I. Joe is SO 20 years ago. Who wants to play with a super hero action figure when you can play with one of TV's favorite commercial characters….

Photographer J Henry Fair captures aerial images of pollution and destruction that result from extreme industrial processes. The images, simultaneously beautiful and horrifying, are meant to be viewed as a commentary on the impact of human consumption on the environment.

Muhammad Yunus, a pioneer in microfinance, has reportedly been forced out of the bank he founded 30 years ago. The Center for Global Development's David Roodman discusses the impact his ouster will have on microfinance.

Kai Ryssdal reviews listeners' responses to past shows and stories. This week: Bill Gates on education, moms at work and the deal behind the 10-year T-note.

Among the assets frozen by the U.S. are holdings of Libya's sovereign wealth fund. Such petrodollar funds have gained prominence in recent years.

Former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd will become the head of the Motion Picture Association of America. It used to be one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington. But the business of show business has changed.

The Treasury Department is urging Congress to raise the ceiling so we don't default.

Oil is up to $100 a barrel. Gas prices are well above $3 a gallon. And we're paying a premium because of our dependency on foreign oil. We should…

Posted by Chau Tu…

Past U.S. presidents as far back as the 1970s have talked about getting off foreign oil. But we just can't seem to do it.

Forget about pay and benefits. What's at stake in Wisconsin is how states can operate with rules that govern how unions work.

Forget Galliano and Gaga. The latest fashion trend is all about saving, reducing and making far less of an impact.