Marketplace for Wednesday, Jan. 30

Segments From This Episode

• Slow the land rush to fire zones

  by Marketplace Staff

  Allstate Insurance says quarterly profits dropped 37%, mostly due to the California wildfires. Commentator and former National Park Service Director Roger Kennedy says unless governments and taxpayers change their ways, we'll be hearing the same story year after year.

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• The Fed strives for balancing act

  by Bob Moon

  With GDP numbers at 0.6% annual growth, the Fed must carefully balance slow growth with inflation to avoid stagflation. Bob Moon talks to economist Joel Naroff about what the Fed is up against.

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• McCain’s economic plan: Look long-term

  by Kai Ryssdal

  Each of the presidential candidates is trying to convince voters he or she will be the best choice to deal with difficult economic times. To find out how Sen. John McCain might perform, Kai Ryssdal talked with his senior economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin.

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• LIBOR introduces interest rate floor

  by Ashley Milne-Tyte

  Investors seek London Inter Bank Offering Rate floor to guarantee interest payment no matter how much the Federal Reserve cuts rates. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports on how this helps investors and undermines the Fed.

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• Engineering solutions to climate change

  by Nate DiMeo

  If we can't stop global warming, can we adapt to it? Some ideas seem far out — like generating a giant cloud or launching a huge umbrella to block the rays of the sun. Nate DiMeo reports the proposals are risky to try, but not trying may be risky as well.

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• Campaigns scavenge for donors

  by Jeremy Hobson

  With John Edwards and Rudy Guiliani dropping out of the presidential race, the remaining campaigns scramble to woo newly unaffiliated donors. Jeremy Hobson reports.

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• Georgia left to dry

  by Kai Ryssdal

  Facing record drought, Georgia's environmental officials are limiting most outdoor uses of water, including filling swimming pools. Atlanta reporter Lateef Mungin talks with Kai Ryssdal about how Georgia's businesses are taking the news.

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