Marketplace Morning Report for Monday, March 21, 2011

Segments From This Episode

• Optimism ahead for the spring home sales season

  by Marketplace Staff

  Fortune Magazine's Allan Sloan explains the current upbeat mood for home-buying.

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• Battle of the Internet browsers

  by Bob Moon

  While Microsoft is using its new Internet Explorer 9 browser to encourage users to switch to Windows 7, Mozilla's new version of Firefox will still be compatible with the older Windows XP.

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• Japan’s nuclear problems mean more fossil fuels for now

  by Eve Troeh

  Japan could declare force majeure and withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol agreement, because it won't be meeting its promise to reduce carbon emissions.

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• Debating health care policies for undocumented immigrants

  by Jennifer Collins

  Under the health care reform, individual policies will be more affordable, but illegal immigrants are still exempt from using them.

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• AT&T would pay $39 billion for rival

  by David Gura

  Mobile carrier AT&T has agreed to buy No. 4 wireless carrier T-Mobile. The deal would make AT&T the nation's biggest wireless company — but could leave the market with just two dominant providers.

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• Japanese food brands could be harmed by radiation fears

  by Rob Schmitz

  The World Health Organization is reporting today there's a serious risk of food radiation in Japan. While the reports show only small amounts of radiation, many analysts are concerned the growing fear could further harm the fragile economy.

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• Will military action in Libya cripple oil production for long term?

  Airstrikes on Libyan targets threaten to prolong the country's oil supply outage — and risks structural damage to the country's output of crude.

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• AT&T merger could mean better coverage — but higher prices

  by Marketplace Staff

  Analysts predict that AT&T's buyout of T-Mobile marries some good news with some bad news for consumers.

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• Mergers indicate market optimism

  by Marketplace Staff

  Julia Coronado, chief economist at the investment bank BNP Paribas, explains how mergers, like AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile, is an indicator for the health of the economy.

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