Marketplace for Monday, October 22, 2007

Segments From This Episode

• Microsoft drops antitrust fight with E.U.

  by Jill Barshay

  After nine years of legal fights and about $1.5 billion in legal fees, Microsoft has conceded defeat to the European Union in its antitrust case. Jill Barshay has the executive suummary.

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• Brazil turns from debtor to investor

  by Dan Grech

  Brazil used to be one of the world's most indebted countries. But thanks to surging commodity prices and better fiscal management it's now sitting on a pile of cash — and looking for places to spend it. Dan Grech reports.

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• States gear up to sell big batches of debt

  by Amy Scott

  California is scheduled to sell $7 billion worth of bonds to investors this week, while Ohio is offering more than $5 billion of its debt for sale. This could be the start of more such deals in the near future. Amy Scott explains.

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• Supplier gets dwindling sums for its parts

  by Marketplace Staff

  Allied-Baltic Rubber in Strasburg, Ohio, supplies parts to General Motors, and business hasn't been good for the last three years as GM has sought further price reductions. Amanda Rabinowitz reports.

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• Selling your home? Time to get real

  by Marketplace Staff

  A lot of recent homebuyers are losing equity in their homes as the housing market fades. Commentator and economist Austan Goolsbee says if you're one of them, it's time to face reality.

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• China keeps up wall to Hollywood

  by Scott Tong

  The United States has asked the World Trade Organization to investigate Chinese restrictions on American movies and other media. It's the fourth WTO dispute between the two countries this year. Scott Tong reports on the battle for the box office.

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• ‘7th year shall be a Sabbath,’ except …

  by Marketplace Staff

  Agriculture policy is tough enough, but what if every seven years farmers just stopped farming and took a nice, long break to let their land lie fallow. Just such an agricultural sabbatical began recently in Israel. But Daniel Estrin reports the devil is in the details.

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• Dump the audio books, stick with Kai

  by Rico Gagliano

  WARNING: Listening to audio books and not Kai Ryssdal while driving could result in you crashing your car…. A public service announcement from the Marketplace Players.

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