Marketplace Morning Report for Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Segments From This Episode

• Shift in American confidence drives truck sales

  by Scott Tong

  According to industry numbers, January sales of new cars and trucks increased 17 percent from 2010. Specifically, Americans were buying more trucks and SUVs. Scott Tong explains why.

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• Egypt reopens Internet connections, businesses react

  by Marketplace Contributor

  As protests continue today in Cairo, citizens and businesses are reacting to a new political landscape. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has announced he'll step down later this year. And the Internet slowly returns to parts of the country.

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• It gets worse: Australia prepares for a powerful cyclone after record flooding

  by Steve Chiotakis

  Just weeks after northern Australia was covered by floodwaters, the same part of the country prepares for a massive cyclone. Flood-ravaged businesses and communities are ready, reluctantly, for yet another economic and natural disaster, as economist Brian Redican explains.

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• Beatles record label is so ‘Yesterday’

  The famed EMI record label owns works by Pink Floyd and the Beatles. But it was also at the center of a flawed takeover deal that can used as a bellwether of the music industry as a whole. Stephen Beard explains.

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• January job numbers reflect stronger market

  by Jeremy Hobson

  Job placement firm Challenger Gray and Christmas on Wednesday reported January job cuts hit a record low. Employers cut 39,000 jobs last month — that's the lowest January figure since tracking began in 1993. CEO John Challenger explains.

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• Richard DeKaser: Job reports show strengthening economy

  by Marketplace Staff

  Jeremy Hobson speaks with Richard DeKaser, economist with the Parthenon Group, about two job reports out this morning. The payroll processing company ADP said private employers added 187,000 jobs last month. And job placement firm Challenger Gray and Christmas reported that employers laid off fewer employees last month than they have in any January month since record-keeping started in 1993.

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• Flight cancellations could reach record high this month

  by Scott Tong

  With storms brewing across the country, winter weather is wrecking havoc on air travel. Airlines have canceled 4,800 flights so far today — that's one out of every six departures. Coupled with the flights grounded yesterday, February is positioned to be the worst-ever month for cancellations. Scott Tong explains more.

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• Look out Netflix: Amazon looks into online streaming

  by John Moe

  Amazon.com already offeres online movie rentals, but the Internet giant is hoping introduce moving streaming, similar to Netflix.com. John Moe has more.

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• Consumer spending may outweigh payroll tax cuts

  by Marketplace Staff

  Americans are getting a boost in the form of payroll tax cuts, but spending and gas prices may outweigh the impact.

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• The economic impact of a megastorm

  by Stacey Vanek Smith

  

  It's estimated that one in three Americans will be affected by this week's megastorm. What kind of impact will it have on the economy?

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• Google unveils Honeycomb software for tablets

  by Steve Henn

  Honeycomb is Google's first software designed specifically for tablets. The company hopes to get Android software running on as many tablets as possible rather than building tablets itself.

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