Week of November 28th, 2011

This season's hottest games contain some intriguing scores.

In the aftermath of the recent scandals at various universities, there have been calls for the leaders of these institutions to step down. Should higher education officials be held accountable for what happens far down the leadership chain?

Fortune Magazine's Allan Sloan explains the payroll tax cut, and who is benefiting the most from them.

Globalization, technology, and lower taxes on the wealthy have increased income disparity in most developed countries, says a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The big monthly jobs numbers come out today. Dan Gorenstein finishes his two part series on unemployment, speaking with employment officials about what citizens can do. As the European debt crisis continues, it could start affecting U.S. exports. The Green Bay Packers are publicly owned, but those shares are really more about sentiment than actual value. And new car share programs in Germany are aimed at younger drivers.

The unemployment dropped to 8.6 percent in November. Will this trend continue or is this just a one time thing? Meanwhile, the Senate failed to pass a one-year extension of the payroll tax cut. The Walt Disney Company has raised its annual dividend by 50 percent. Businesses are warming up to getting green. We look at what it might take to rebrand the euro’s tarnished image. And commentator Bethany McLean asks why Enron, 10 years after it filed for bankruptcy, is still the poster child for corporate corruption.

It’s possible that hidden software on your phone may be spying on you. The software, made by a company called Carrier IQ, is supposed to provide wireless carriers with diagnostic information on the ways that consumers are using their phones. But it also may be recording your keystrokes and thus obtaining information like passwords, emails and texts — all while most people never even knew such software existed.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the U.S. created 120,000 new jobs in the month of November, while the national unemployment rate fell to a surprising 8.6 percent. It’s the lowest the rate has been in two and a half years. Still, it’s not all good news. Borrowing from Dickens, the overall economic picture in the U.S. tells a tale of two economies — one that’s very profitable for corporations and another that’s devastating for American workers.

Military servicemembers are returning stateside to a tough job market. Two veterans share their job-hunting experiences. Time’s a-tickin’ to get those gifts. If you’re short on money, learn some tips on how to make presents that won’t end up gathering dust. If you’re swiping away, Yale researchers are studying how monkeys make financial decisions to gain insight into how humans spend. Plus, it’s Paddy Hirsch’s first show as the new senior producer of Marketplace Money. We read your suggestions for him and the future of the show.  

Get this: congress can compromise!

Google's the new Amazon! Or wants to be! Or something!

Gary Burtless of the Brookings Institution says that there have been some positive signs in the job market, but the situation is precarious.

Meanwhile, in news of bills that a lot of people seem to really hate, let’s talk about the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working on a new anti-piracy bill as an alternative to SOPA and its Senate cousin, the Protect IP Act, says Hillicon Valley. Instead of calling […]

Going over listeners' responses to past broadcasts. This week: What companies can do to help the economy, what's been ignored in the holiday shopping coverage, and old but underrated products.

Catching fire is not a desired quality in a car. Not like undercoating.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the U.S. created 120,000 new jobs in the month of November, while the national unemployment rate fell to a surprising 8.6 percent.

Disney and other big companies have boosted annual stock dividends lately. Does this mean America's economic crystal ball is clearer? Or do companies simply not have better options to spend the cash they're hoarding?

Servicemembers return stateside to one of the worst job markets in history. Two veterans share their job-hunting stories: One who is still searching for a job and another who found work quickly after he retired from the military.

A recent report says that Americans gave up $34.3 billion worth of vacation days this year.

or get ready to never hear about them again

Reviewing the week's headlines on Wall Street. This week: Today's latest jobs numbers and whether the central banks' plans to save the euro will work.

Extending the payroll tax cut failed in the Senate over divisions on how to pay for it. If it isn't paid for, that diverts money from Social Security.

Meg Favreau of Wisebread.com shares two gifts you can make that'll be winners under any tree.

America's unemployment rate for the month of November fell to 8.6 percent. We have reaction from a leading White House economist.

Despite signs the recovery is gaining steam, trouble in the eurozone could sap demand for U.S. exports.

Job numbers out for November show that 275,000 people say they found jobs, but at the same time 315,000 people became so frustrated that they stopped looking for jobs.

Hidden software in millions of smartphones appears to log keystrokes.

The Packers are the only major American sports team that is publicly owned. But their shares have little more than sentimental value.

Job counselors say most unemployed workers are serious job searchers. If Congress doesn't extend benefits, they want more ways to counsel and train the jobless.

A crisis of confidence besets the euro as it approaches its 10th anniversary. Can the currency be rebranded to restore its luster?

We talk with Washington reporter Nancy Marshall-Genzer about the top stories from this week.

Donald Trump will moderate an upcoming Republican debate.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel today called for a new legally binding set of rules to control spending in all eurozone countries, with harsh fines for any rule-breakers.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke today, echoing recent sentiments by the head of the European Central Bank and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The Senate yesterday failed to agree on a deal that would extend payroll tax cuts, a key part of President Obama's stimulus

A recent study ranked the 100 saddest cities in America.

The unemployment rate hits its lowest level in two and a half years, but not all the numbers are so rosy.

Germany's leader spoke today, calling for stricter regulations across Europe.

Websites get redesigned all the time (your humble Marketplace family’s being no exception) but it’s interesting to note when the redesign also involves a shifting strategy. And it’s especially intriguing when it comes to such an influential property as YouTube. The video site has rolled out some major changes, emphasizing channels even more than ever […]

German automakers are finding the car isn't the status symbol it used to be, so they're starting car share programs aimed at enticing young drivers.

How do we deal with an inheritance in an intelligent and fiscally sound manner? Thank you! Steve, Drexel Hill, PA

The new jobs-added numbers were good, but they don't explain the big drop in the unemployment rate.

The movement toward second and third careers

I suppose you just use yours for CALLING.

Even without government regulation, big business is embracing environmental goals.

An unexpected budget surplus sees Minnesota in the black…at least for now.

Some medical offices are having patients sign “privacy agreements,” which supposedly give doctors copyrights over what’s said about him or her online. Certain patients and The Center for Democracy and Technology are challenging the legality of such agreements, while a company that is providing them say that untruthful comments online can pose certain risks.

The Institute for Supply Management’s monthly Purchasing Managers Index is closely watched because the people who do the ordering in factories often have a pretty good sense of the mood of their bosses. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the manufacturing sector, while a number below 50 means contraction. Today’s number was 52.7 for November, up from 50.8 in October. Better than expected.

Now that the central banks are jumping in to help ease the credit crunch in the global economy, who might hold the most risk in a potential eurozone breakup? Many Europeans are still looking to Germany to save the day. Warren Buffett’s bought his hometown newspaper. Night-shift manufacturing gets a makeover. We look at why ‘crap’ technology might be great technology. And Economy 4.0 discovers what it takes to purchase a home on a Native American reservation.

Markets are finally smiling again following the news yesterday that coordinated action will be taken by the world’s central banks to ease credit and increase liquidity. Chris Farrell explains what the debts of households, companies and governments means for GDP. In Illinois, state lawmakers have rejected a bill that would have offered millions of dollars in tax breaks to keep the Chicago Mercantile Exchange from leaving the state. And some economists say long-term benefits help the unemployed avoid reality.

Some economists say long-term benefits help the unemployed avoid reality: They're never going to get the pay they used to.

Researchers at Yale are wondering if spending behavior has something to do with genetics. We learn how monkeys and humans are similar — and different — when it comes to plunking down cash.

And so begins the Spyfiles saga

About a quarter million people lost power and suffered other wind damages.

Central banks from a number of countries have decided to increase the ease of borrowing; many hope this will be enough to buy eurozone governments more time to solve the debt crisis.

"Lights-out machining" leads to layoffs for some workers but saves jobs for others.

Is the U.S. borrowing trouble with the Federal Reserve's offer to swap dollars for shaky euros?

China's economy is slowing down, and it isn't just the debt problems in Europe causing the shift.

Germany is the only eurozone country rich enough to bail out the euro, but many German voters and politicians feel they have already done enough.

Recently, I got married. I increased the credit line on one of my three credit cards and charged a lot of money on two of the cards. One, I basically stopped using, but it is open. I also had a lot of credit checks done as I was applying for financing a car. I leased a car and started renting an apartment. Now, when I started looking for a mileage credit card so my wife and I can better earn miles to travel, I found that my credit score has decreased and my applications are being denied. How can I rebuild my score after all these credit checks. Should I cancel the card I don't use? Thanks! Adam, Los Angeles, CA

The global stock market rally that sent the Dow up almost 500 points yesterday may be over, but France and Spain are offering some hope this morning that yesterday's coordinated action by central banks to ease credit is working.

Learn this name: Carrier IQ

Thomas Hayden discusses the advantages of using what he calls "crap" technology.

And how they influence a country's GDP.

Now that the Illinois House has overwhelmingly voted down tax breaks to keep the CME Group in Chicago, the ball is in CME’s court. Can the CME really leave the city? At what cost?

The Dow had its best day in almost three years yesterday following the news that central banks around the world would help ease the credit crunch.

Automakers reported big November numbers, and the Jeep Wrangler's starring role in a popular video game may have helped spur the rally.

The cuts are supposed to level the playing field in the airline business, but the conflict between Europe's Airbus and America's Boeing could continue to rage on for years.

The children's channel has been on top for 16 years but has felt a sudden, unexpected drop in ratings in the last few months.

Tess Vigeland and Liz Pulliam Weston of MSN answer listeners' personal finance questions.

It's syntax, not politics

Could this be the future of social networking?

Activists are using the date to push for generic AIDS drugs, but the generics might not be economically worth it to companies that would produce it.

How much information does the Kindle Fire's browser collect and what is Amazon doing with it?

This season's fall TV lineup has seen a re-emergence of the laugh track. But do these sound effects really help ratings?

There is an ongoing effort to get the euro back to normal, and the crisis is looking more and more like the sub-prime mortgage crisis here in the U.S.

Patients are beginning to challenge the legality of the "privacy agreements" that some medical offices are enforcing as a way for doctors to control what's said about him or her online.

3D-printed bones act as “scaffolds”

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway will buy the Omaha World-Herald Co. Why go local?

The most recent monthly report measuring factory ordering shows better-than-expected numbers for the manufacturing sector.

Read Rolling Stone while you listen

On the Pine Ridge reservation, buying a home can take decades, even if you have the money.

Holiday giving is your last shot to slide in extra tax deductions for the year, but Marketplace's economics editor Chris Farrell says there are deeper motivations behind end-of-the-year donations.

Central Banks in several countries have agreed to lower their interest rates to make it easier for Europe to borrow. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte talks about how the European financial crisis is impacting the Netherlands. Commentator Robert Reich says the U.S. needs to extend the payroll tax to create a healthier economy. The U.S. is exporting more oil than it imports for the first time in more than 60 years. Some established manufacturing companies are trying to look more like startups. And the Millionaire Matchmakers talk about how finding the perfect job is a lot like finding Mr. or Mrs. Right.

Investors woke this morning to news that six central banks, led by the U.S. Federal Reserve, acted jointly to inject dollars into the life support system keeping European banks alive. The move was meant to restore confidence in the global financial system and show that the central banks will take action to prevent a repeat of the financial crisis of 2008.

New research indicates common peripherals are highly hackable.

The European debt crisis spreads to American banks. The National Labor Relations Board could speed up the process for elections. In light of recent scandals, universities are taking a closer look at candidates before hiring them on. And the end of Napster has finally come.

During the holiday season, more shopping could also mean more shoplifting.

The American economy is sagging. Job growth at a standstill. So what's the best way to kickstart the economy?

We have a student loan for our daughter of about $120,000. Should we use our retirement funds to pay it off? Our house will be paid off in 5 years and we have about $20,000 in revolving debt. Please advise. Thanks. James, Houston, TX

To increase liquidity, the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve are teaming up.

HP figuring it out?