Marketplace for Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Segments From This Episode

• Why new-home sales drop was a shock

  by John Dimsdale

  Sales of newly-built houses fell more than 11% last month, surprising analysts who expected an increase of around 5%. After all, sales of previously owned homes were up. So how did the experts get it so wrong? John Dimsdale explains.

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• Chinese car makers eye world markets

  by Alisa Roth

  In the last week, three Chinese car makers agreed to buy portions of brands owned by American auto manufacturers. The deals show the Chinese companies are looking to compete on a global scale. Alisa Roth reports.

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• Will outage put squeeze on Blackberry?

  by Bob Moon

  The second BlackBerry blackout in a week has left users of the usually reliable device with idle thumbs for several hours. Bob Moon reports the company needs to be careful with its reputation, to keep rivals at bay.

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• Helping banks get back to the basics

  by Marketplace Staff

  Many small businesses' growth is on hold because banks aren't lending to them. Banks aren't lending because so many small business owners now have bad credit scores. How to end the stand-off? One lender may have found a way. Rob Schmitz reports.

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• Who said econ and poli sci don’t mix?

  by Marketplace Staff

  Commentator Dan Drezner says one of the biggest changes that has gone unnoticed is the way the economy is now being studied — with a healthy dose of political science.

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• What’s my major? Health insurance.

  by Marketplace Staff

  With the economy still struggling and unemployment holding at double digits a lot of new college graduates can't find jobs, let alone jobs with health insurance. So some students are getting smart about staying insured. Sarah Varney reports.

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• How to pick a great wine from the seller

  by Kai Ryssdal

  Want some nice wine to go with your holiday dinner? Wine can get expensive, even though it doesn't have to. Author Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl has some suggestions for the casual wine consumer in her new book, "Drink This." She gives Kai Ryssdal a taste.

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