Week of April 14th, 2014

China’s growth has been anchored in building big projects for decades

Despite some failures, solar is growing into a big industry.

Gillette is said to be close to unveiling a new razor with a blade that rotates on a ball hinge, the latest innovation in the high-end battle for the dollars men spend on grooming.

Since the financial crisis, people who hold a mortgage have spent less on housing than people who rent. So why don't more people buy?

With spring in full swing across the US, economists are looking forward to a busy home-buying season. One factor that might push people to buy – the high cost of renting compared to owning. Since the financial crisis, people who hold a mortgage have been spending less on housing than people who rent. But that’s beginning to change, as Adriene Hill reports. Plus, Gillette is said to be close to unveiling a new razor with a blade that rotates on a ball hinge, the latest innovation in the high-end battle for the dollars men spend on grooming. The thing looks like a Dyson vacuum cleaner, and it’s enough to make you wonder… how do Gillette and others go about convincing men that this is something they need to have? Then, the Obama administration announced $2.5 billion more in loan guarantees for solar energy. Despite the Solyndra failure (followed not long after by the failure of several Chinese solar companies), solar has grown into a big industry. We count the ways.

Kai talks with Felix Salmon from Reuters and Catherine Rampell of the Washinton Post about the week's biggest economic news.

Men age 25 to 54 have been disappearing from employment for decades. In the recession it got worse. Now it's getting a bit better.

Jason Seiden, CEO of Ajax Workforce Marketing, says companies aren't marketing themselves well online.

Why it's a great time to be a chicken farmer.

Creating a budget is an important part of smart financial planning. But sticking to a budget when you have very little money can be overwhelming.

The photo sharing firm's effort to cut down on insta-spam elicits some negativity.

Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, authors of “The Confidence Code,” talk with Marketplace Money host Lizzie O’Leary about why women are less confident than men.

The Russian government faces many costs including the bill for infrastructure upgrades, increased salaries and pensions for officials.

Bearded men are about to have a close shave with the fashion police.

This week on Marketplace Money, host Lizzie O’Leary and personal finance writer Kristin Wong discuss budgeting when you’re broke — yes, you can save money even when you don’t have much of it. Personal finance expert Lauren Lyons Cole tackles questions from our listeners. Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson dissects the latest when it comes to money and mobile technology. Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, authors of The Confidence Code, explain the importance of confidence for women in the workforce, and Airfare Watchdog’s George Hobica tells us why it pays to be nice to your flight attendant.

Web ventures are getting the most investment money

Japan and the U.S. are having beef over the price of meat. And, the fight between TV broadcasters and Aereo goes to the Supreme Court.

Marketplace Datebook for the week of April 21, 2014

The Supreme Court hears arguments next week in a case that pits traditional broadcasters against a new service that makes over-the-air TV available on your phone, tablet or computer. Some say that this technology is as revolutionary as the VHS tape was a generation ago. We explain the legal arguments and what’s at stake. Plus, we talk to the author of “The Purpose Economy” about how our economy is shifting towards one driven by purpose and social good, instead of being driven solely by money. He uses examples like Millennials opting for start-ups as their preferred career path, and an overall focus on shared economies

The case hinges on what constitutes a public broadcast versus a private one.

Aaron Hurst, author of "The Purpose Economy," argues workers are driven by more than just the promise of a paycheck.

U.S. is pressuring Japan to remove import tariffs on pork and beef

The Supreme Court hears arguments next week in a case that pits traditional broadcasters against a new service that makes over-the-air TV available on your phone, tablet or computer. We explain the legal arguments and what’s at stake. Plus, Will Oremus, tech blogger at Slate, joins us to talk about Yahoo’s attempt to become the default search engine on Safari for iPhones. Plus, Ben plays Silicon Tally with Quartz corporate reporter John McDuling.

Play Silicon Tally to find out how well you've kept up on this week's tech news.

Home Depot as an online retailer.

Goldman Sachs announced an 11 percent drop in profit today… and it’s stock went up one percent. This happens all the time in the financial world: a company’s shares move in opposition to its earnings results. Why? It’s all about the investors’ expectations, and how the company matches up to them. Mark Garrison explains how those expectation s come about. Also, companies in sectors from telecommunications to banking to healthcare are employing a new technique to shield themselves from lawsuits – adding a provision to their terms of service to say by using a service or buying a product or even liking something on Facebook, consumers agree they can’t sue the company. We look at how widespread this is, and whether the practice might withstand a legal challenge. Plus, Sonic is the 4th largest burger chain in the U.S. by sales, but you wouldn’t know it in a lot of states, because it’s concentrated in certain regions. Now the chain that serves its food drive-in style is expanding. Is it freeing to be #4, after the standard McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s?

Of those who signed up, 28 percent are ages 18-34, a demographic being closely watched by insurers.

We're Number 4!!! Sonic is the 4th largest burger chain in the U.S. by sales, but concentrated in a few regions.

Terms of service that say by being a Netflix member, you agree you can't sue the company.

Fine tuning market expectations is important for public companies.

Millennials, born between 1982 and 2004, are growing up. And marketers are starting to pay attention.

Rick Caruso of The Grove says shopping centers are in the entertainment business.

Is it the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything?

With soda profits flat, PepsiCo finds profit in chips.

Some forward-thinking companies are re-imagining how workers use technology.

Diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and the EU are in Geneva

Weibo goes public on Nasdaq as concerns over censorship remain.

The ACA brought new customers and revenue. Profits are a maybe.

The ACA exchanges have been good for business. Both United Healthcare and Blue Cross plan to expand their offerings in 2015, while other top carriers are considering their options. We look at what the giant insurers have in store for ACA, year two. Plus, China’s version of Twitter goes public on Nasdaq this Thursday. But there are big concerns over censorship. Nine percent of China’s microblogging traffic disappeared last year due to “big brother” concerns.

VCs are more likely to invest if executives are the ethnicity of investors.

China’s version of Twitter goes public, but there are big concerns over censorship. Nine percent of China’s microblogging traffic disappeared last year due to “big brother” concerns. Plus, Aaron Smith, a senior researcher at Pew’s Internet Project, joins us to talk about American attitudes toward future technologies. Before a company sells for billions of dollars, it starts as an entrepreneur’s big idea, with venture capitalists stepping in somewhere in between. A new study shows VCs are more likely to back companies if the founders are the same ethnicity as the investors.

A new study looks at Americans' attitude towards the future.

The White House hosts summits on everything from healthy foods to diversity in technology. But what's the real utility of these gatherings?

Kids aren't eating them, and neither is Kai.

What’s led to the overall improvement in creditworthiness for consumers.

Michael Bloomberg is committing $50 million to create an anti-gun voting operation. What does $50 million buy?

Whether banks have posted profits or losses this quarter, the data suggests that people are getting better at paying back their loans. Dan Bobkoff looks at what’s led to the overall improvement in creditworthiness for consumers. Then, the White House hosts a summit of deans from top biz schools today to talk about educating the leaders of the future. The event is in the lead-up to, you guessed it, another summit in June, that one about Working Families. We ask what comes of these confabs, and what real utility they provide. Plus, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is committing $50 million to creating an anti-gun voting operation. This is on top of $50 million to fight coal-burning plants, $53 million to fight overfishing of oceans, $50 million for women’s reproductive rights. What does $50 million buy?

Growth has slowed and could drop to zero within months, Russian politicians admit.

A look at how one pattern maker in Chicago thinks about her profession.

Batteries are hard to develop because they live in the world of material science.

How is the test prep industry is preparing for the changes to the SAT?

The minimum wage isn't high enough to attract unemployed locals.

Marketplace Datebook for Thursday, April 17, 2014

This month's National Geographic explores why 2 billion extra mouths could mean disaster.

Top "Halo" and "Call of Duty" players bring in sponsors and crowds.

Here's a .update on the new top-level domain names.

The Ford Mustang is a design innovation that lives on.

A bacterial infection is roiling through shrimp farms in Southeast Asia.

A bacterial infection is roiling through shrimp farms in Southeast Asia, disrupting production and raising shrimp prices in the U.S., which depends on Asia for most of its shrimp. “Infant mortality syndrome” has knocked off Thailand as the biggest exporter to U.S. Now that’s India. Plus, this week is the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang, a design innovation that had a huge impact on auto makers and auto culture. Has any U.S. car design had a similar impact since?

Many Silicon Valley homeless take "Hotel 22" bus for hours every night.

This week a bunch of big tech companies are announcing earnings. Yahoo rallied yesterday on a good report. Google and IBM announce earnings today. But in the last few weeks there has been a discussion brewing about the tech bubble. With companies and stocks being over-valued, are we in one? Will it pop? Plus, a closer look at environmental damage stemming from the tech industry in Silicon Valley.

Sustained high GDP figures usually reflect unhealthy growth

Consumer prices increased more than expected. So what’s becoming more expensive, and why?

As consumer prices increase more than expected, we look at what’s becoming more expensive (food, rents) and why – as well as asking who this will impact the most. Plus, tomorrow the College Board will release “extensive sample items” for the newly designed SAT. The revised test obviously affects students, who will begin taking it in the spring of 2016. But how about the multi-billion dollar test prep industry? We take a look at how they’re preparing for the changes. Also, Russia’s  Finance Minister is warning that his country’s economy could see zero growth this year because of the backlash over Russia’s annexation of Crimea.  Russia has seen capital flight of $63 billion in the first 3 months of this year, as people rushed to convert rubles into other currencies. The news comes as the European Union threatens further sanctions against Russia. Then, Yahoo’s earnings look good today. The company has been on an upswing this year, in the wake of a spate of talent hires by CEO Marissa Mayer. But closer examination of Yahoo’s numbers paint a different picture. The company’s stake in Chinese IPO hopeful Alibaba is worth about  $33 billion, given the valuation placed on Alibabs right now. Yahoo’s market cap right now? $33.8 billion. Which begs the question, without Alibaba, what is Yahoo really worth?

Vidalia onion grower challenges a Georgia state rule that sets April 21 as the earliest date farmers can pack onions for sale.

Yahoo's stake in the Chinese IPO hopeful Alibaba is worth about $33 billion, but their own market cap right now stands at $33.8 billion.

A brewery steps in when a town's given a grave diagnosis.

Inflation in the tax preparation and accounting fees category is up 5.1 percent

"Ukraine needs help from abroad, that's what the interim government knows."

Marketplace Datebook for Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Titan says its drones can stay aloft for years, without refueling

Chris Colin and Rob Baedeker, authors of "What to Talk About," have some tips.

Internet companies are racing to patch their Heartbleed vulnerabilities, at great cost. And legal pot shops are discovering the joys of tax season.

Taxpayers face a smaller risk of being audited by the IRS.

Tax deductions on labor and rent don't apply to legal marijuana dispensaries

American taxpayers face a smaller risk of being audited by the IRS, as the agency struggles with its own budget problems. Afterall, the less you make, the less you have to worry- and that’s even less than before. Plus, heartbleed is apparently going to cost us a lot of money. A quarter of internet users have stopped or cut way back on online purchases in fear that their data will be exposed. And businesses have been exposed because the “keys” to their websites have been laid bare. IT overtime alone is costing businesses millions right now as they desperately attempt to update code and reassure consumers.  

Are the fatal GM engineering flaws being misdirected at Mary Barra?

Heartbleed is going to cost us a lot of money. A quarter of internet users have stopped or cut way back on online purchases because they’re worried about their data being exposed and IT overtime alone is costing businesses millions right as they desperately attempt to update code and reassure consumers. Plus, why Google bought a company that makes solar powered drones. Also, Lindsey Turrentine, Editor-in-Chief of reviews at CNET, talks about the price of Google Glass and why the company is opening up sales to the public for one day.  

We asked: Why is your favorite font your favorite font?

Maxwell House coffee gets a makeover today, the latest of Kraft's vintage brands to get one.

…or else, says The U.N.’s climate panel.

Retail sales increased 1.1 per cent in March, the biggest jump since September 2012.

How to (literally) chicken out on prom.

Saved by the spring – retail sales increased 1.1 per cent in March, the biggest jump since September 2012.  This might be pent-up demand from a difficult winter, but what’s the story behind the figures? When both the job market and wages are still weak, Mitchell Hartman looks at where the money’s coming from. Also, a new report from the U.N.’s climate panel says we’ve got 15 years to turn things around or potentially really suffer the effects of global warming in the future. This is the starkest call for action yet, but the report also illustrates why calls for this kind of action are so hard for people to process.  Plus, Maxwell House coffee is getting a makeover today, but it’s only the most recent Kraft vintage brand to get one. Kraft’s going through its older brands, some of the most famous in consumer goods, and refreshing them for modern times.    

Marketplace Datebook for Tuesday, April 15

Researchers believe that more than one third of all internet traffic is from bots

Some of the biggest players in the housing bubble were house flippers.

How a marketing campaign helped the U.S. win the space race.

Al Gore warned us. Did we listen? A little.

Congress is out for recess, but not to play. And a look at France's proposed new rules for workplace messaging after hours.

Lanzhou’s water supply was contaminated with Benzene, a cancer-causing chemical

Congress is in the midst of a two-week recess.

Easter is almost a month later than last year… and so are sales.

Is it too easy for low-income parents to become burdened with loans?