Week of November 10th, 2014

Tory Burch's fashion success grew from a "simple idea": Design affordable beauty.

Thanks to the Air Jordan, Nike has over 90 percent of the basketball shoe market.

Banking in the palm of your hand.

The whole work/life balance question.

This weekend, Lizzie O’Leary speaks with Marketplace’s Adrienne Hill about how data impacts education. Lizzie goes for a walk in Washington DC with a special guest to understand what walkable cities mean to the aging population. The New Yorker’s John Cassidy and Slate’s Alison Griswold talk wage stagnation, online shopping, and mayo over brunch. How do you make money pursuing your passions? Why doesn’t anyone go to the bank anymore? And is it even possible to achieve perfect work-life balance?

S&P just gave Twitter a BB- rating. So is it time to sell? Not really.

ISIS wants to make, distribute and regulate its own coins, but there are all sorts of problems with creating a currency out of precious metals. Plus, S&P just gave Twitter a BB junk rating. Junk!?!? Does that mean Twitter is destined for the trash pile? Not really. It simply means that it’s carrying a lot of debt relative to its earnings. Finally, car makers are agreeing to voluntary privacy standards for all data being collected by in-car computers. But what data is being collected and how could its use or release affect you?

Establishing a gold-and-silver system creates problems in a modern global economy.

His life is so different from ours.

Auto makers issue privacy standards for the data that cars collect.

Phones, cars and golf.

Military vets make up 4 percent of undergrads.

How well have you kept up with the week in tech news?

In Europe, when it comes to economic growth, they’ll take any glimmer of hope they can find. There were some surprising signs of life this morning in some of the countries that use the euro. More on that. And we look at the trend in falling gas prices, which could really benefit low- and middle-income people, who need more discretionary income, and whose commuting costs can be higher because they often older, less-fuel-efficient vehicles. Plus, this weekend, open enrollment begins as consumers start shopping for insurance. Prices will be changing, plans will be different, and choices often complex. And private industry smells a business opportunity.      

Most economists went to bed last night thinking Japan’s economy was growing. But there’s news today that not only did it not grow, it shrunk to the point that Japan’s now in recession. More on that. And what’s called the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect opens for business today. It’s a link between the two stock exchanges that means—for the first time—investors of each market will have access to the other. Here’s the thing: this gives international investors a way to invest in mainland China without a lot of fuss. Plus, the Pew Research Center has a report out this month with data showing that many of us feel anxious when managing personal information online. There’s a burgeoning industry that attempts to help us with this, but how much can be done?

First up, Will Oremus, Senior Technology Writer at Slate, stops by to talk about Facebook’s new privacy tools. Plus, back in September, hackers believed to be from China infiltrated the federal weather network. But why weather? And how well have you kept up with the week in tech news? Host Ben Johnson takes on David Banks, co-editor of the blog Cyborgology, for this week’s Silicon Tally.

Here are the stories we're reading and numbers we're watching Friday.

The UAW is trying to organize workers in the South, where auto jobs are growing.

Hackers targeted U.S. weather systems.

The heads of the Black List and SpaceX stopped by our live show in Los Angeles.

Immigration reform may protect 5 million people from deportation.

Companies are trying to eliminate the hassle that comes with choosing insurance.

Electronic dance music stars like Wesley Pentz are reshaping pop music.

The U.S. cleared hurdles to send two major trade agreements forward.

Buffett says the rich don’t pay enough taxes, but his recent grab avoids plenty.

The U.S. signed a trade agreement with India this week and also one with China to do with tariffs on tech products. They’re being heralded as major trade pacts, so why the flurry of deals now? Plus, Warren Buffett is buying Duracell from Proctor & Gamble with P&G stock. We look at how he plays the market in order to get big tax advantages. Finally, Hasbro is said to be interested in buying Dreamworks. It would give the toymaker an easy way to promote its products beyond stores shelves. 

Hasbro is reportedly interested in buying Dreamworks Animation.

Reddit CEO quits after he doesn't get the office he wanted.

Answering the question of why a toy company would want to own a movie studio.

Khan Academy’s YouTube videos are among the most popular tutorials online.

Cheap gas, Hasbro gets into movies, and the history of currency.

An issue with India has been papered over—It had been holding up a massive global trade deal that supporters say could add a trillion dollars to the world economy and add 18 million jobs, especially in poor countries. The World Trade Organization has been working on this package of trade liberalization for years, but the U.S. refused to agree because it was thought that a relatively new food security system in India would cause global distortions in trade. More on that. And a new statistics on student loans shows the cost of getting a bachelors degree is still rising. The numbers also show that the average debt for undergraduates sits at $28,400, up 2-percent from last year. And as we find out, the people with the really big debt loads are not the only ones to worry about. Plus, if you’ve found yourself on a flight recently, knees jammed to your nostrils, consider this: an airline based in the United Arab Emirates is offering what amounts to an apartment … on an airplane.  

Rolfe Winkler, who covers Google for the Wall Street Journal, joins us to talk about YouTube’s new streaming music service. Plus, the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft is out with its latest expansion on Thursday. It comes as the number of paying subscribers has dropped off considerably since it peak of 12 million in 2010. We look at the changing economics of these games. And Michael Liimatta, President of Connecting for Good, stops by to talk about making the most of Google Fiber in low income communities in Kansas City.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is offering a 125-square-foot cabin.

With a shrinking subscriber base, World of Warcraft tries a new strategy.

We chatted with the friends and TV stars on stage in Los Angeles.

'Early Warning Systems' are changing how schools identify – and help – high-risk students.

Banks must pay $4.3 billion because their traders manipulated the market.

China agreed to cap emissions. How are the goals stated by China and U.S. attainable, and who would be the winners and losers? Plus, banks are being fined because their traders manipulated the foreign exchange markets. We look at how and why the offenders did what was thought to be impossible. Finally, Hostess Brands, which makes Twinkies and other snacks, was bought out of bankruptcy last year by a private equity firm. Now it’s about to be sold on for $1.5 billion. We explain how the Twinkie-maker was saved by private equity.

The U.S. commitments for reducing carbon emissions are mostly already in place.

Will this wannabe Euro beverage be a hit?

How a private-equity firm turned around Hostess and saved the iconic snack.

With a surprise climate agreement and Alibaba's huge sale, a lot's happening in China.

Hear this one- time event with Kai Ryssdal hosting a conversation about creativity with Amy Poehler, Norman Lear, Gwynne Shotwell and Franklin Leonard. 

The U.S. and China are drawing a line in the sand on greenhouse gas emissions.

Financial aid forms are roadblocks to enrollment for some potential students

Downbeat markets in the UK, China and the U.S. reach agreement, and Black Friday gets longer

Financial regulators from the U.S., Britain and Switzerland today imposed penalties on five banks for letting their traders work to manipulate foreign exchange markets, pounds to dollars, euros to pounds, and so forth. We take a look at what regulators suggest is price-fixing in action. One big bank not named in that foreign exchange scandal is Goldman Sachs. Every two years Goldman names its newest partners. Today is that day. And as we find out, the title comes with perks. Plus, the International Energy Agency has a new report today that warns the current boom in American shale oil hides other threats to the world supplies of oil. The agency is worried about global demand outstripping supply in the next 25 years, and an over-reliance on fewer producers. The shale oil boom has other by-products and not just making the fossil fuel outlook seem rosier than it may be. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking uses fluid pumped into rock to liberate oil and gas. But what do you do with the used fluid?

First up, we take a look at reactions to the President’s position on net neutrality, and how it changes things for the FCC going forward. Then, we talk about why the New York Attorney General wants to ease off on proposed regulations for Uber and Lyft-like services, and why that might be good for car service companies but bad for drivers. Plus, the fracking business has been called a water industry with an oil and gas byproduct. That’s because of all the very dirty water created by hydraulic fracturing that has to be disposed of. But a small army of innovators think THEY have the chops to clean this water up.

Once every two years, a select few at Goldman Sachs become 'partners.'

The market for cleaning up the briny waste water is likely to grow dramatically.

There are large areas of the country where you still can't get a cell phone signal.

Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services lowered its estimate of how many people will sign up for an ACA health plan this year.  We look at how the size and composition of this year’s pool will affect premiums. Plus, Ford’s new F150 pickup production line starts operating, with hundreds of new auto workers. What kind of jobs is the auto industry is adding as it comes back? Finally, in the wake of a crazy Oklahoma divorce case, we ask how much a CEO really contributes to a company’s success.  

Ford and other auto makers have added thousands of jobs, but at lower wages.

The question became a critical issue in the Continental CEO's $1 billion divorce case.

The oil and gas industry could learn a thing or two.

Will there be 13 million people enrolled this year? Or 9 million?

On Veterans Day, we look at Kai's time in the Navy and post-9/11 casualty rates.

The former Defense Secretary talks veteran unemployment, spending cuts and congress.

Here's what it says and why it matters.

Harvard researchers secretly photographed more than 2,000 students to study classroom behavior.

Singles Day draws to a close, high tech trade gets easier, and a powerful and profitable art installation.

You know those door-buster sales after Thanksgiving? They’re nothing compared to the online buying that happened in China today. More on the record-breaking shopping extravaganza known as “Singles Day.” Plus, U.S. military veterans who served since September 11th have a harder time finding work than the general population. 7.2 percent are officially unemployed, compared to 5.8 percent for non-veterans. On this Veteran’s Day, we take a look at just one program that tries to help veterans with not just jobs but good, career positions. 

First up, more on the massive hack of the United States Postal Service. Then, we talk the single biggest shopping day for singles in China. And last up, Garth Brooks, who is back from a long semi-retirement, is out with a new online store for his music and others, called GhostTunes. We look at who else is on the service, and the challenges a new entrant to this market faces.

…which is ultimately bad for overall wage growth.

Brooks is releasing the album on a new website he helped create, GhostTunes.

There are pros and cons, for an economy outshining competitors in growth and jobs.

Do the dew, but not this dew.

The luxury home builder Toll Brothers Inc. announced that revenues rose 29 percent in October. Should we see this as a sign that things in the housing market are improving? Plus, President Obama says the internet should be regulated. Treating the internet this way would enable the FCC to enforce net neutrality, barring ISPs and their customers from developing practices like fast lanes.

The decision is up to the FCC, but the president makes his position clear

"I didn't get your text" has a real "The dog ate my homework”-feel to it.

Sesame Street, ACA round two, and President Obama speaks on net neutrality.

Kai Ryssdal talks to Kim Zetter about her book.

Do increased revenues for Toll Brothers mean the housing market is improving?

Spoiler: Meetings.

Prices spiked last week, and they're back up this morning. So we test drove a car.

It’s that time of year again: Wall Street bonus season.

Tuition and fees bring in 32 percent of revenue at private 4-year schools.

UPDATED: A short look at the history of how utilities became utilities.

Marketplace’s Scott Tong conducted a test drive on a recent reporting trip to Michigan.

Today: Chester Wisniewski, from the cybersecurity firm Sophos, about Tor and the recent dark net site shutdowns and arrests.  Plus: William Do, the founder of a failed startup, about being a broke startup founder in San Francisco.

Twitter is collaborating with WAM! (Women Action and Media), which will report harassment of women on Twitter. They fill out a form, send it to Twitter, then monitor Twitter’s reaction. Why isn’t Twitter doing more itself.  Plus, cold weather will sweep down from the arctic this weekend and freeze the northern states of the US. The losers? People whose fuel bills will go through the roof. The winners? Weather websites, which are seeing fierce amounts of traffic by polar vortex-obsessed Americans.  

A polar vortex is predictable, so it makes for an easy, media-friendly story.