Week of December 3rd, 2018

Two numbers in the Labor Department’s jobs report Friday seem to indicate the job market might be slowing down a bit, or at least hitting the pause button. First, what it calls the U-6 unemployment rate: It measures total unemployment, including discouraged and underemployed workers. It rose 0.2 percent to 7.6 percent. Second, within that U-6 […]

Analysts say OPEC's decision is less about raising prices, and more about stopping them from falling further.

After a devastating wildfire season in California, millions of dollars poured in for relief and rebuilding efforts. But how does that money actually get to people in need? We looked into it. But first, let’s pull apart this morning’s jobs report, which showed more part-time jobs. Is that a sign underemployment is on the rise? Plus: What you need to know about the big business of Art Basel.

No, really — slowing job growth is a good thing. Plus, a new inter-generational living program in Portland, Oregon brings foster families and seniors together through affordable housing. Today’s show is sponsored by Indeed  and Selligent.

The job numbers are in, and unemployment is still down. But how do find the best candidates when all the best candidates already have jobs? An investor makes a Hail Mary play to save erstwhile retail giant Sears. Plus, the arrest of Huawei’s CFO has intensified the trade rivalry between the U.S. and China, but another fight over tiny components is getting bigger. Today’s show is sponsored by Indeed  and Selligent.

From the BBC World Service… OPEC is on day two of a meeting aimed at cutting the cartel’s production amid plunging global oil prices. With members struggling to agree, reports suggest some countries may receive exemptions in order to get a deal across the finish line before the weekend. Then, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany party will vote today on its next leader, who will be widely seen as chancellor in waiting as Angela Merkel prepares to exit politics when her term ends in 2021. And, with many worries about the nexus of business and politics in China, we look at the role the country’s 170,000 state-owned enterprises play in the economy.

Earlier this week, Google’s self-driving car spinoff, Waymo, launched a commercial self-driving taxi service in the Phoenix area. It’s limited, but it’s technically a public launch, not just testing. And this is a case where the tech moved faster than the laws. Proposed federal rules for regulating self-driving cars called the AV START Act have been stuck in neutral for about a year. But this week senators updated the language in the bill. They’re even considering attaching it to the must-pass budget legislation that Congress will decide on before the end of the year. Molly Wood talks about it with Aarian Marshall, who covers autonomous vehicles for Wired magazine. Today’s show is sponsored by Colgate University.

General Motors announced it will close plants in Maryland, Michigan, Ohio and a Toronto suburb called Oshawa. On today’s show, we’ll look at how the local economy there is trying to move past auto manufacturing. But first: everything you need to know about Huawei and the latest U.S.-China trade debacle. Plus: Will Lyft be the first ride-share company to go public?

The U.S. unemployment rate is still falling, but job growth turns out to be bit slower than expected. So are the business orders for factory goods. Plus, the civil war in Yemen is being called the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. As families brace for a potential famine, international relief organizations are finding it difficult to render aid. Today’s show is sponsored by the University of Florida Warrington School of Business and Selligent.

The arrest of Chinese tech giant Huawei’s CFO in Canada sends the financial markets tumbling. What does Meng Wanzhou’s potential extradition to the U.S. mean for relations with China? Plus, the E.U. looks to protect bloc countries that trade with Iran from U.S. sanctions, calling into question America’s position as the world’s most powerful financial player. Today’s show is sponsored by the University of Florida Warrington School of Business and Selligent.

From the BBC World Service… Details haven’t been released about the arrest  of the CFO of Chinese tech giant Huawei, but news of her detainment is sparking increased security concerns about the company, one of the largest telecom equipment and service providers in the world.  Plus, all eyes are trained on Vienna today where OPEC will decide whether to cut production in response to falling oil prices. But with a ramp up in North American shale production, how relevant is the cartel?

For a time it seemed like tech might free us from the bonds of geography. In theory, fast internet meant new economic opportunity in any city. And telecommuting and video conferencing meant we could work from anywhere. But in reality, the geographic digital divide is as wide, and in fact even wider than it ever was. Recently Amazon decided its new headquarters could only go in big cities with a big tech workforce. That just solidified the fact that technology and the digital economy are less evenly distributed than ever. Molly Wood talks with Mark Muro, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and lead author of the 2017 report “Digitalization and the American Workforce.” Today’s show is sponsored by Colgate University.  

Business orders for factory goods are not quite so robust as earlier this year, and that may show up in the numbers this month. But what’s not slowing down is consumer demand for manufactured stuff.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

The rise of electric scooters could benefit some low-income neighborhoods, where cities have struggled to provide dependable transportation. But first, they have to shake a serious image problem. Plus: OPEC gathers tomorrow in Vienna to discuss critical issues on oil production, but a lot of the action actually happens in the stairwell just outside the meeting. But first, we’ll talk about the latest in coal deregulation, auto tariffs and the role of corporate boards post-#MeToo.

OPEC oil producing countries are scheduled to meet in Vienna on Thursday to discuss possible production cuts as a way to boost prices. Oil prices have been sliding in recent months. At the recent G-20 meeting, Russian and Saudi Arabian leaders signaled a willingness to work toward cuts, but what might that mean? Click the […]

China is doing damage control after all speculation about the trade war détente with the U.S., the details of which are still fuzzy, at best. More on how the inverted yield curve is causing jitters in the markets. Plus, a study out of UCLA shows why the American nail salon industry lies at the intersection of immigration, labor and health care, and why we should be paying attention. Today’s episode is sponsored by the University of Florida Warrington School of Business and the Alliance for Lifetime Income.

Members of the petroleum cartel OPEC are set to meet in Vienna to find a fix to sliding oil prices, but what can they actually accomplish? The Trump administration has some suggestions for the U.S. Postal Service on how to do business better. One solution: delivering mail less often. Plus, in the #MeToo era, men working on Wall Street are claiming they’ve changed their behavior for fear of accusations of impropriety, but those supposed changes might adversely affect women. Today’s show is sponsored by the University of Florida Warrington College of Business and the Alliance for Lifetime Income.

From the BBC World Service… Takeda Pharmaceuticals shareholders gave the green light for a $59-billion takeover of U.K.-listed Shire. It clears the way for Japan’s biggest-ever corporate acquisitions, but stakeholders are worried about the debt load it puts on Takeda. Then, global market jitters are growing about a worldwide economic slowdown amid an ongoing trade dispute between the two biggest economies. China stepped in today to try to ease fears that its temporary truce with America would materialize into something more, but has it worked? Plus, a look at how a bridge straddling two Nordic cities helped boost economic vitality in the region and became a symbol of cross-border cooperation.

More than 40 percent of Americans still have a landline, at least according to a 2017 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People keep them for convenience, reliability and emergencies so they can still make calls if the power goes out due to an earthquake, fire or other disaster. But only about 20 percent of households have good old copper phone lines, according to the trade group USTelecom. The rest are digital connections or voice over internet protocol. AT&T has been pushing for almost a decade to drop analog landline service and move to an all-digital network for landlines. Telecom companies say it’s a lot cheaper to operate just one network. But are IP phone lines as reliable as the old tech? Molly Wood talks with Joan Engebretson, executive editor at Telecompetitor, an industry publication focused on broadband and telecom.

Major company layoffs are not tied to economic worries necessarily.

… Which is to say, it’s starting to point down. It’s inverting. And that can be an important warning sign for the economy. We’ll explain. And speaking of warning signs: The housing market is losing steam, but is that bad news? We’ll talk about the winners and losers. Plus, a conversation with Alexis Ohanian about creating the front page of the internet and life as a venture capitalist. 

The French government gives in to protesters demonstrating over a gas tax increase. What the inverted yield curve might be telling us about the future economy. Plus, how one mosquito-borne illness has become a physical and financial nightmare for families. Today’s show is sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Navy Federal Credit Union and Indeed.

The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement last year, so why are there American representatives at the negotiations  in Poland this week? Climate change is forcing industries across the globe to reassess operations. Plus, why the recent E. coli outbreak in Romaine lettuce might make getting in your leafy greens more expensive. Today’s show is sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Navy Federal Credit Union.

From the BBC World Service… Parliamentary debate begins in England today on Brexit just after a non-binding, early opinion from a European Court of Justice law officer that the U.K. can unilaterally halt its exit process. What does it all mean with less than four months to go until Britain’s E.U. departure. Then, German automaker leaders will meet White House officials as President Trump mulls tariff hikes on E.U. vehicle imports. Plus, sky-high inflation in Turkey has eased as the country’s currency rebounds from crisis this summer, but is it too early to call it a recovery for the economically-troubled nation? Today’s show is sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Navy Federal Credit Union.

At the heart of the creator economy is video, whether it’s YouTube videos in a home studio or online documentaries or social videos. And, at some point, everybody realizes you can only do so much on a phone. But high-end digital cameras and proper audio gear are expensive and in the past were made more for moviemaking than for creating short, shareable web videos. Enter Kristina Budelis, co-founder and president of KitSplit, a startup that got $2 million in funding earlier this year. It lets creators and businesses who own camera and audio gear rent it out to others. Molly Wood talks with Budelis about how the creator economy is even changing how manufacturers make their stuff. Today’s show is sponsored by the University of Florida Warrington College of Business and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

The Persian Gulf state of Qatar, one of the smallest members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, will leave the cartel in January after nearly six decades. Qatar said the move allows it to focus on its natural gas industry. Qatar’s decision says a lot about the growth of natural gas in the world’s […]

After this weekend’s G-20 summit, the upcoming U.S. tariff hikes on Chinese goods have been put on hold for a 90-day truce in the ongoing trade war. But some American businesses aren’t feeling optimistic. We’ll hear from them and from our Shanghai correspondent on the latest. Plus: Yet more consolidation in local TV, and looking back at the economic legacy of George H.W. Bush.

The markets perk up after the announcement of a temporary truce  in the trade war between the U.S. and China. Qatar decides to cut and run from OPEC. Plus, why so many American farmers are filing for bankruptcy. Today’s show is sponsored by Orvis , Navy Federal Credit Union and the Alliance for Lifetime Income.

The U.S. and China reached a 90-day truce in its trade war at the G20 Summit this past week, but the two countries still don’t appear to be on the same page. Plus, a look at the life of late President George H.W. Bush, who passed away at the age of 94 Friday. Today’s show is sponsored by Orvis  and Navy Federal Credit Union.

From the BBC World Service… Days before a crucial meeting on future production, Qatar says it will quit OPEC. So, what’s at stake and why is the smallest producer in the group making the decision to leave now? Then, talks at a climate meeting in Poland have begun a day earlier than scheduled. At stake for the 40 heads of state attending is agreement on the rules of the Paris climate pact aimed at ensuring all countries keep their promises. Plus, Thursday’s OPEC production meeting and elections in Germany top our list of events to watch in the week ahead.

We all had a party on Twitter last week when NASA landed a new probe on Mars. But for people to land or live on Mars, they’ll have to survive in a hostile environment where you can’t just run to the hardware store for new tools … or a new satellite or new habitat. So some companies are trying to move manufacturing to space. NASA contracted with one company, Made in Space, to use a 3D printer to make tools on the International Space Station. One day it may be able to “print” satellites in space. Molly Wood talks with Andrew Rush, president and CEO of Made in Space.