Week of December 16th, 2013

Is your budget being blown by holiday tipping? Marketplace Money host Carmen Wong Ulrich talks to etiquette expert Thomas Farley about how you show your appreciation during the holidays without going broke.

Marketplace Money host Carmen Wong Ulrich talks to Eileen Heisman, the President and CEO of the National Philanthropic Trust, about how to get the most out of your charitable donations

With the deadline for healthcare.gov sign ups looming 72 hours away, we look at how administrators are preparing: If the rush of customers is a coming flood, what are the Obamacare sandbags and where are they being deployed? Lead bullets are on their way out. Fourteen states have banned them, the military is phasing them out, and on Dec. 1, the EPA is shutting down a bullet-producing lead smelter. But hunters say a shift to copper will make bullets more expensive and less effective, and even could raise copper prices. Finally, today’s glance at third-quarter GDP numbers are good. The country is growing at a rate of more than 4 percent. But unemployment is still high, wages are still not growing, and while companies are thriving and sitting on piles of cash, Americans, for the most part, are not. 

The conclusion of our Jobless Generation series.

We're starting a new series in January about life's little business & economics conundrums. What have you always wondered about?

Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has tossed out a big part of a law that would have allowed gas companies drilling wells to ignore local restrictions.

Today's revised GDP number says the country is growing. But what about the people in it?

With the deadline for healthcare.gov sign-ups looming, we look at how administrators are preparing.

The city of Redlands, Calif., boomed with the orange business. And even though many of the groves are gone, some hope oranges will still play a big role in the city's future.

BlackBerry has reported a $4.4 billion loss in its third quarter earnings report.

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Adding some gross weight to gross domestic product. As negotiators continue work on a trans-Pacific trade deal, one of the sticking points is intellectual property. And, a visit to BTC China, which until this week was the trading epicenter for the Bitcoin economy.

$9600, 1 billion and 80 percent. What do these numbers mean? Take the quiz and find out!

Marketplace has been looking at youth unemployment in Europe. The numbers are terrifying. Among 18 to 24 year olds in Greece, 60 percent are jobless. In southern Spain, it's 74 percent.

Citing concerns over the massive bailouts in Europe, Standard and Poor has stripped the EU of its AAA rating.

‘Tis the season for holiday tipping — everyone from your mail carrier to your paper delivery guy to your kids’ teachers.

As negotiators continue work on a trans-Pacific trade deal, one of the sticking points is intellectual property.

The global price of the digital currency Bitcoin went on a roller coaster ride this week when the world’s biggest Bitcoin exchange was forced by China’s government to stop accepting deposits. Up to now, the exchange, BTC China, was the trading epicenter for the Bitcoin economy.

The Standard and Poor’s credit rating agency has stripped the entire European Union of its AAA rating. The EU has been bailing out some of weaker countries and the downgrade is a comment on the donor countries’ willingness to keep paying. Negotiations over a trade deal among a dozen Pacific Rim countries, including the U.S., are expected to resume next month, after the latest round of talks stalled. One sticking point is intellectual property — a great interest to Hollywood, which wants to protect its copyrights for as long as possible. This week, Marketplace has been looking at youth unemployment in Europe.  The numbers are terrifying.  Among 18 to 24 year olds in Greece, 60 percent are jobless. In southern Spain, it’s 74 percent. 

Bitcoin has had a wild week, in no small part because the huge road block the currency hit in China. There the exchange is called BTC China. In recent months the price of Bitcoin has skyrocketed thanks to people buying it up in the country, where the national currency is tightly controlled, but a few days ago the Chinese government put on the breaks, forcing the exchange to stop accepting Chinese currency. That cut the price of Bitcoin in half, but there’s still plenty of interest in the country. 

This weekend on Marketplace Money, host Carmen Wong Ulrich gets into the spirit of giving with etiquette expert Thomas Farley, who offers tips on holiday tipping. Plus, Harvard professor Michael Norton and Eileen Heisman of National Philanthropic Trust talk about why we give and how to donate charitable contributions in the most effective way. Plus, whether you’re giving gift cards over the holidays or will receive some from loved ones, journalist Bob Sullivan shares some important rules and restrictions on the popular presents that you should be aware of. Also, Brian Hoyt of RetailMeNot.com offers ideas on how to find the best coupon deals online and personal finance expert Lauren Lyons Cole dispenses advice to young listeners about student loan debt.

Italy is out of recession now, but business leaders there say the recovery will be slow and tough.

Russian President,Vladimir Putin, vows to pardon a former political enemy who was once Russia's richest man.

As of yesterday, that's how much the Fed held on its books.

Uber upset riders with a spike in service costs during a high-demand weekend.

The Joint Strike Fighter — a new, high-tech jet known as the F-35 — is way over budget and years behind schedule. Yet Congress has not moved to clip its wings.

Target has revealed that data for more than 40 million customers have been stolen from its retail network. But what on earth does a thief do with all those credit card numbers? How can they be used and for what purpose? Next, what’s the perfect gift for traditionalists this Holiday Season? Light bulbs – the old-fashioned kind invented by Thomas Edison a century ago. They are banned as of Jan. 1, and lots of people will miss them. Plus another installment from our travels across Europe, looking at unemployment among the young.

Incandescent light bulbs are banned as of Jan. 1, and lots of people will miss them.

Target has revealed that the credit card numbers for more than 40 million customers have been stolen from its retail network.

We’re continuing our American Futures series with The Atlantic’s James Fallows and the software company ESRI this week. Kai and James have been traveling across the U.S. looking at how small towns are living and working in a new economy. They’ve flown into the easternmost city in the U.S. — Eastport, Maine and traveled to Sioux Falls, S.D., where they visited a few businesses in […]

Millions of Target shoppers may have had their information stolen from card swiping machines. The Fed is not worried about inflation right now. But should it also worry about the opposite? And, generics have a 50 percent bigger markup in comparison with brand-name drugs.

Generics have a 50 percent bigger markup in comparison with brand-name drugs.

The Fed is not worried about inflation right now. But should it also worry about the opposite? Persistently falling prices, or deflation, can also wreck an economy.

Airport officials are urging Congress to raise the cap on passenger fees from $4.50 to $8.50.

U.S. coal producers hope to export coal from the Pacific Northwest to China. The world’s second biggest economy burns more coal than the rest of the world combined. That’s generated record levels of air pollution in China, and polluted waterways, too.

One advocate says we should stop thinking of Bitcoin as a currency and start thinking of it as a money transfer system.

Many shoppers are about to take a moment to recall if they’ve been to a Target store in the last few weeks. The U.S. Secret Service says it’s investigating credit card and debt card thefts starting the day after Thanksgiving and possibly continuing through last weekend. Target isn’t commenting yet. And, this week, Marketplace has been reporting on the good, bad, and the ugly of exporting U.S. coal from the Pacific Northwest to China. The world’s second biggest economy burns more coal than the rest of the world combined. That’s generated record levels of air pollution, but, as Marketplace learned when we visited a mining town, it’s polluted China’s waterways, as well. We take you to the heart of China’s coal country.

China’s largest Bitcoin exchange, BTC China has been forced to stop taking Chinese currency. The move follows a reported meeting this week between payment processing companies in the country and the People’s Bank of China, and a decision by national financial agencies in the country earlier this month that effectively banned dealing in Bitcoin, the so-called cryptocurrency — which Marketplace Tech has been looking at all week — seems either on the verge of collapse or going to the next level. So, which is it? Plus, the first piece of artwork created with Google Glass.

A continuation of our Jobless Generation series.

The wealth inequality we have in the US today is no match for what it was like in England 100 years ago.

The latest from Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson.

The FCC voted this week to review the dreaded blackout rule.

It used to be that sports and fashion marketing existed on the periphery of the Hollywood entertainment business.

The Federal Reserve says it will reduce its $85 billion a month in bond purchases by $10 billion starting in January, citing a stronger U.S. job market. What will that do to interest rates? Next, BP has long complained that its settlement money for the Deepwater Horizon spill was often spent frivolously. Now it’s going public with its complaints about claims that businesses have filed against it, starting with Emeril Lagasse, the New Orleans chef. Finally, it used to be that sports and fashion marketing existed on the periphery of the Hollywood entertainment business. But as a IMG’s sale to William Morris demonstrates, the talent business is diversifying.

Quarterly news conferences were among Ben Bernanke’s innovations at the Fed.

U.S. coal companies have hit hard times. Domestic demand is drying up, and global prices for coal are hitting record lows. What to do? The industry is looking across the Pacific to China for help, and is planning to build coal terminals in Washington to export coal from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the world’s second-biggest economy. But is China interested in American coal?

A new bill from Sen. Elizabeth Warren to regulate credit histories and employment applications.

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On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced it will cut its bond-buying program by $10 billion starting January. So what about this whole tapering thing? What’s it gonna mean for you and me and Aunt Mabel?

BP has long complained that its settlement money for the Deepwater Horizon spill was often spent frivolously.

The long awaited move has come. The Fed says its going to cut its monthly asset purchases by $10 billion.

JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank are prohibiting the use of some chat rooms amid ongoing investigations of currency manipulation. Ukraine is welcoming a $15 billion early holiday gift from Russia.

The former Microsoft executive ran that company's Office product suite.

Fortune Magazine's Allan Sloan makes his predictions for 2014

A San Francisco doctor takes Bitcoin as payment for medical services.

A Senate Committee hears testimony about data brokers, the companies that collect and compile info about consumers via online tracking.

FedEx releases its profits this morning. FedEx and other shipping companies are hoping for a bounce this holiday season. Among the factors playing in their favor is the calendar — just 26 days — because Thanksgiving is so close to Christmas, this year.  FedEx hopes people might have to rely on speedier and pricier shipping options. And, as we look at the future of coal this week, one group that’s not much of a fan of the coal industry right now are Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. Fifty-seven tribes in the region have come together to oppose plans to build coal export terminals in Oregon and Washington State. Marketplace Morning Report looks at one tribe’s fight in Washington against what could become the largest coal export terminal in North America.

All this week, Marketplace Tech is talking about the digital currency Bitcoin. We’ve heard about what it is and how a company called Coinbase is trying to help more customers and businesses use it for transactions. Today we talk to one of the new businesses that is starting to use Bitcoin — a private medical practice in San Francisco. Plus, healthcare.gov gets a new boss. And, new regulations could be coming for data brokers.

The BBC's Justin Rowlatt explains why gold became the precious metal pick of the litter

Those better have been some nice Levis…

GlaxoSmithKline says it will stop paying doctors to prescribe its drugs and will stop rewarding its sales reps for higher sales. The company has tested the approach in the U.S., judging salesmen on their medical and business knowledge, instead of how many drugs they sell.

Tech companies are taking ownership — and control — of everything from the cloud to dark fiber.

Some are worried the Fed will announce that it’s going to stop — or at least slow — its stimulative bond-buying program.

Some are worried the Fed will announce that it’s going to stop — or at least slow —  its stimulative bond-buying program. Others are worried the buying will continue. But it’s not solely inflation they’re worried about. Next, tech companies are taking ownership – and therefore control – of everything from the cloud to so-called dark fibers. Finally, GlaxoSmithKline says it will stop paying doctors to push its drugs and will stop rewarding its sales reps to push doctors to push their drugs. But just what is this “sales rep” and what is her or his role?

Youth unemployment sits at almost 24 percent across the EU. But in Germany, it's less than 8 percent.

Alongside the tales of the newly, minted, young male billionaire tech entrepreneurs, another narrative is bubbling: The absence of women.

Elsie Ejismekwu is happy to have two driving jobs in the North Dakota oil fields as she starts her life over.

Beyonce's album teaches us the choices we make with our money.

The FDA is asking makers of antibacterial soap to prove their product is more effective than regular soap. Some women in Silicon Valley are trying to change gender dynamics. And, 59 new Beatles songs come out today. Why?

A Silicon Valley startup is the PayPal of Bitcoin.

Today, the German Parliament confirmed arguably the most powerful leader in Europe for a new term.

The Crow tribe in the Powder River Basin has one coal mine on its reservation, but poverty among tribal members remains high. The tribe would like more mining.

No, but Apple Records does, to protect the group's copyrights.

There are plenty of issues that still need to be dealt with before any grand bargain — everything from the Farm Bill to unemployment insurance to the debt limit.

The bipartisan budget deal that will avoid a government shutdown gets a key vote in the Senate this morning. And it could pass the Senate as soon as Wednesday, giving Congress some “breathing room” to tackle big issues, like entitlement reform and tax reform — at least, that’s how the thinking goes. Today, the German Parliament confirmed arguably the most powerful leader in Europe for a new term. Chancellor Angela Merkel has also opted to keep her stern finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, in place, with global implications. And, this week Marketplace is looking at the future of coal, the fuel that built industrial America. When you think of coal, what comes to mind? Appalachia? Soot? Climate change? If you ask tribal members on the Crow Reservation that question, they might say life.

All this week, Marketplace Tech is talking about the digital currency Bitcoin. Yesterday, we found out that like most forms of currency, Bitcoin is “a massive hallucination we all agree upon.” But it’s also a techy idea — a network where computers with a shared record of transactions can trade long strings of letters and numbers to keep track of who has what. Whether that description sounds simplistic or overly complicated, there’s a company designed to make sure we don’t ever have to worry about it. Plus, what options are there for people who need to replace their incandescent bulbs after new efficiency standards go into effect in 2014?

Commentator Beth Teitell says she feels stalked — by online ads.

Darren Romanelli, aka Dr. X, specializes in blending, art and fashion with branding and marketing.

Many Greeks in their late twenties or early thirties live at home, dependent on their parents.

A federal judge ruled against domestic phone data-mining.

Have you spotted them yet? Health care insurance ads. If you haven't seen any, just get ready — there's a coming ad blitz.

Google is buying Boston Dynamics, which is famous for making cool robots like that mecha-cheetah you've seen on YouTube.

Google is buying Boston Dynamics, which is famous for making cool robots like that mecha-cheetah you’ve seen on YouTube. Next, the coming ad blitz from health insurers is the surest sign yet that Obamacare is working, and isn’t going anywhere. Also, the United Nations is launching its largest appeal ever for humanitarian aid to Syrians – even though its earlier appeal is only 60 percent funded. Finally, millions of Europeans under the age of 30 are unemployed and not in school or some sort of job training. In Europe, the economic downturn seems to have hit the youth the hardest.

Malls have become more nimble, offering specialized services and experiences you can't find online.

Now that some parts of the economy seem addicted to the Fed's stimulus, how does the central bank extricate it? Facebook will be added to the S&P 500. So what exactly does that mean? And, a company called Pave that lets financial backers invest in the future of promising young people.

Google has purchased Boston Dynamics.

All this week, Marketplace Tech is looking at Bitcoin.

A company called Pave that lets financial backers invest in the future of promising young people. If their careers take off, the investors get a cut of their success.

Strip mines in the Powder Ridge Basin of Wyoming and Montana are isolated and out of sight. Their efforts to expand exports of coal to Asia are making them more visible.

Now that some parts of the economy seem addicted to the Fed's stimulus, how does the central bank extricate it?

Italy's prime minister calls youth unemployment his country's "true nightmare."