Week of January 12th, 2015

Some economists say the jobs being created now don't deliver enough economic punch.

John Boehner takes aim at Barack Obama with a dozen Taylor Swift GIFs.

"Everybody who touched the Glass did not become an evangelist." That was a problem.

Rural Alaskans are taking advantage of Amazon Prime's free shipping.

A weekly roundup of what we learned at Marketplace.

The sudden move to let Swiss franc rise jolts currency markets.

Marilyn Tavenner runs Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – for a few more weeks.

You Can't Change Where You're From

Airing on Friday, January 16, 2015: There’s a huge currency trading market that companies use to even out the value of the world’s many currencies – and that traders large and small speculate in. When there’s a surprise like the Swiss franc move, it sends shock waves through the market. How businesses and governments are assessing the damage. Plus, for the first time in at least 50 years, the majority of children in public school are from low-income families. We look at the calculation and ask: How did public schools become warehouses for the poor?  

We want to hear the dramatic stories of your leap.

Without bees, we'd lose $15 billion each year in the U.S. – and $100 billion globally.

How the gap between wanting something and getting it affects our finances

Branko Milanovic discusses income and wealth gaps in the global economy

This weekend, we talk about gaps, big and small, in our economy, our psychology, and our finances. Inequality scholar Branko Milanovic discusses wealth and income gaps globally. Two people working in China discuss what the economy there feels like. Psychology professor Elizabeth Dunn speaks about the gap between desire and fulfillment, and how you can use it to make the most of your purchases. Lizzie and Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson discuss the time it takes for new technology to be introduced to the market. Jamelle Bouie talks with Lizzie about social inequality gaps, and later, one listener tells the story of financial gaps in his own life. And next week, we’re focusing on leaps. Have you ever taken a financial leap of faith? Tell us about it, here, on the web, or @MarketplaceWKND.

Tell us about that financial gap in time and how it affected your life.

Ohio State won first college football playoff, but its graduation rate lags behind its other sports programs.

Google Glass may still have a future, just not in its present form.

Travel to Cuba, the end of Google Glass, and digging for sand in the midwest.

Airing on Friday, January 16, 2015: Players in financial markets and some homeowners in Europe feel like they just got mugged by Switzerland. More on that. Plus, there’s news the oil services company Schlumberger will cut 9000 jobs. But to bring this right down to an even more intimate level, let’s turn to the town of Lorain, Ohio, west of Cleveland. Once economically distressed, jobs poured in at the U.S. steel plant in Lorain, to make pipes for domestic shale oil production. Now that crude oil is trading at less than half the price it was in June, there’s word that more than 600 workers (nearly everyone) at the plant will lose their jobs.    

Airing on Friday, January 16, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk to Amanda Lotz, Associate Professor of Communications Studies at the University of Michigan, she’s also the author of The Television Will Be Revolutionized, about Netflix and Net Neutrality. Plus, Netflix will go from streaming movies to producing them this year. It’s releasing the first of four movies with Adam Sandler. And it’ll release, both in theaters and on Netflix at the same time, the sequel to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. We look at how Netflix is trying to upend the traditional film release structure. And how well have you kept up with the week in tech news? It’s time for Silicon Tally! This week, host Ben Johnson takes on Flora Lichtman, a science journalist and producer of The Adaptors podcast.

The U.S. loosens some restrictions on travel to the island nation Friday.

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

As the price of crude oil falls, so does the demand for steel.

When a Wisconsin county tried to shut them out, sand companies found a way in.

The streaming giant is financing and releasing two films this year.

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

In honor of the 2015 Academy Awards nominees, we share some random facts.

Swiss franc's good fortune makes World Economic Forum a lot more expensive for Americans.

Fracking creates a sand rush in western Wisconsin, and not everyone is happy.

The bank surprised just about everyone by letting go of the franc.

40 million U.S. workers don't have sick leave. Obama wants to change that.

Airing on Thursday, January 15, 2015: Big banks are reporting lower revenue, in part because of less trading. Are lower profits for banks, especially from trading, necessarily bad for the economy? Plus, the Swiss franc soared today after Switzerland decided to abandon the cap on the currency value against the euro. We look at what was behind the decision and what difference it will make. Finally, President Obama proposes seven days a year of paid sick leave, arguing that providing more sick leave makes businesses more competitive and workers more productive. We examine the economics of the sick day. 

Satirists Sam Weiner and Daniel Kibblesmith introduce us to the hippest money around.

Lower profits could be a sign that banks are taking smaller risks.

Seems like everyone's trying to make the first great electric, self-driving car.

Americans who work nontraditional hours struggle to find round-the-clock day care.

President Obama made a splash with a proposal for free community college. But he isn’t the first.

Target gets out of Canada, the Swiss get out of the euro, and VW's award winning car.

Supply-chain problems left Canadian Targets thinly stocked, disappointing shoppers.

Airing on Thursday, January 15, 2015: Until today, Switzerland had a policy that it would never let the Euro fall below a specific floor. A Euro would be worth 1.2 swiss franc, at the very least. But as the Euro’s value kept drooping with all the uncertainty of a Greek General Election on the way, it was costing Swiss banking authorities a fortune to keep that floor in place. Today, without warning, Switzerland let go of the euro, and the franc shot up. More on that. Plus, some real estate experts are now suggesting the America’s terrible foreclosure crisis may be over, by one key measure. RealtyTrac is out with its 2014 report on mortgage-delinquencies, foreclosure auctions, and bank repos-and the rate at which Americans are losing their homes because they can’t pay the mortgage is now back to pre-recession levels. Plus, a friendly reminder that explaining the gyrations of the stock market can be like staring at clouds long enough to see shapes of animals or faces.

Airing on Thursday, January 15, 2015: Google launches a Domains service, which will compete with the likes of GoDaddy. We look at the impact of this competition, and the impact on users in terms of making it easier to register websites. Plus, we’ll speak with Matthew Nordan, managing partner at MNL Partners an energy and environmental investment firm, about electronic waste and Google’s Project Ara. And Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty project at the ACLU of Massachusetts, talks about license plate tracking technology for this week’s Back to Back to the Future Part II segment.

Our roads feature scarier technology than the streets of "Back to the Future II."

The plan would allow workers to earn more paid sick time.

A new report says foreclosure filings fell to to approximately the level of 2006.

Google enters the crowded field of domain-name registration.

The numbers we're reading and watching for Thursday.

When oil prices drop, size and location matter to the survival of oil companies.

President encourages municipalities to set up their own high-speed fiber-optic networks.

How burdensome is Dodd-Frank is to banks like JPMorgan?

John Wilson has been highlighting the worst of film since "Can't Stop the Music."

Falling gas prices mean people have more money, but are they spending it?

Plus, listen to CEO Rich Riley's 'Bad Day at Work' playlist

3 million were printed but only 300 copies of the magazine will be sold here.

Airing on Wednesday, January 14, 2015: Falling gas prices are putting more money in people’s pockets, but retail sales were down in December, even after excluding cheap gas. Where is the money going, and how reliable are retail sales as an indicator for our changing economy? Plus, JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon says banks are under assault, a reference to dealing with multiple regulators and the bank’s multibillion-dollar legal costs. We take a look at Dimon’s claim.  

News sites rushed to put up the latest cover, but the stalwarts mostly stood down.

President Obama endorsed student data-privacy pledge and proposed data protections during a speech at the Federal Trade Commission.

Retail sales down, rethinking college sports, and a shortage of chocolate

Airing on Wednesday, January 14, 2015: The European Union’s highest court has just passed judgement on the idea of Europe buying bonds to stimulate the economy there.  It would be a version of Quantitative Easing from which America’s Federal Reserve has just tapered. More on that. Plus, all eyes are on the big banks this week as they report their latest earnings. How has the plunge in oil prices affected their bottom-line? And from the North American International Car Show in Detroit, we’ll talk about the electric car that might go as far as a Tesla at a quarter of the price. 

Airing Wednesday, January 14, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk to Matthew Green, Assistant Research Professor at the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute, about the White House’s privacy and cybersecurity policy proposals. Plus, Molly Wood, Technology Columnist for the New York Times, talks about Microsoft’s pitch to retailers to use its Kinect’s face-tracking technology to follow you while you shop.

We're eating more (and growing less) cacao.

The NCAA's faces pressure to provide student athletes with more financial aid.

For the big banks, there’s no storm yet, but there are clouds on the horizon.

A new study says local taxes are hitting low-wage earners much harder than others.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Wednesday.

The film giant says he doesn't know what to make. The retail giant isn’t worried.

Worker wellness is a $6 billion industry, but there's little evidence it improves health or saves money.

Don't expect other companies to quickly follow Aetna on the wage front. The move is strategic.

A Dallas company uses algorithms to streamline the process of buying blood.

Airing on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015: Aetna is raising wages for its lowest-paid workers to a minimum $16 an hour. Those affected are mainly customer-service and billing people. Aetna says it needs to attract the best people it can, and retain them, as health insurance becomes more of an individual-customer business. Plus, a new survey shows U.S. companies are increasingly using penalties to encourage their workers to join wellness programs. Why is this part of the affordable act so popular with employers?

There are more jobs open today than there have been in 14 years.

Is there a difference between an adviser and someone with Senate confirmation?

Measuring monthly active users online may no longer be the end-all, be-all.

Even though drilling is expected to taper, demand for sand could keep growing.

Education Week gave Massachusetts, New Jersey and Wyoming the highest scores in the newspaper’s state-by-state rankings.

Downward oil-price trend may not bode well for biggest customers of jet manufacturers.

A big couple of days for pharmaceutical buy-outs, and Lithuania joins the EU.

Airing Tuesday, January 13, 2015: Crude oil prices continue to slide, and now British inflation is sliding along with it. More on that. Plus, Detroit is hosting North American International Auto Show this week. There are a few new green offerings on display like a new re-designed Chevy Volt and a diesel plug-in hybrid version of the Audi Q7, but some car shoppers have lost their enthusiasm for high-mileage vehicles. Plus, the number of dorms that are closed on college campuses during the holidays is slowly decreasing as students are increasingly unable to afford to head home for the holidays.    

Airing on Tuesday, January 13, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk to Laura Reed, Research Analyst for Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net project, about improving WiFi infrastructure in Cuba. Plus, we’ll also speak with Ev Williams, CEO of Medium, about alternative metrics for measuring online news engagement.

Truck and SUV sales are up … but Tesla sales have not slowed.

A conversation on measuring the merits of metrics.

Schools are making it easier for students to stay on campus during breaks.

Lithuania has taken its old currency, the Litas, out of circulation.

The numbers we're reading and watching for Tuesday.

In all, the Consumer Electronics Show was a nerd’s paradise.

Entrepreneur's company tracks down leaky water pipes with data collected by sensors.

Plan would require companies to notify consumers of a data breach within 30 days.

McDonald's new advertisement receives a mixed response.

About 43 million Americans have overdue medical debt on their credit reports.

Houston furniture dealer ties a tidy potential refund to the price of oil.

Detroit auto show is one of country's biggest, and more than 750 cars are on display.

"Grain cars were unhooked so the locomotives could hook onto oil," one farmer says. Dakota railroads tell another story.

Airing on Monday, January 12, 2015: McDonald’s new ad focuses on franchises around the country that have used their signs to support the community. But the new strategy is getting a mixed response. Plus, President Obama calls for new rules for companies hit by data breaches. We investigate the best practices for companies that experience breaches, and measure how the proposal stacks up. Finally, in light of this week’s Detroit auto show, we take a look at the auto show industry. 

U.S. News & World Report releases rankings for more than 1,200 online programs.

Autos in 2015, an exciting game with a boring name, and converted golf courses.

Airing Monday, January 12, 2015: First up on today’s show, as is a Wall Street tradition, the first big quarterly profit report of the season is Alcoa, the aluminum concern that reports results later today. Alcoa used to be one of the components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, but is no longer. But they’ve been on a roll lately, as we find out. And a general election is on the way this month in Greece, and a left wing party is promising to renegotiate terms of Greece’s debt if it gets in. The present government is now responding in an effort to hold onto power. More on that. Plus, during these short winter days, if only somebody could write out a prescription for happiness. Well, the people who produce Yes! Magazine have just published a collection of essays about rethinking our economic and social relationships.

Airing on Monday, January 12, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk to Sucharita Mulpuru, retail analyst at Forrester Research, about the growth of shopping apps in 2015. We’ll also speak with Michael Bowling, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Alberta, about using machine learning to solve Texas hold ‘em.

Another auto-show trend: Everything's going to be 'kind of environmentally responsible.'

As earning season begins, the former aluminum giant is optimistic.