Marketplace for August 9, 2011

Segments From This Episode

• Freakonomics: Why are we so bad at predicting the future?

  by Stephen Dubner

  People make a lot of money making predictions, so why are they so rarely right? Freakonomics Radio's Stephen Dubner talks about accountability in fortune telling.

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• The differing fortunes of Saab and Volvo

  by Christopher Werth

  Two years after GM sold Saab and Ford sold off Volvo, there has been a striking difference in how the Swedish brands have fared.

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• Can Verizon hear them now?

  by Bob Moon

  More than 40,000 workers continue to strike

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• U.K. riots hit areas that can least afford them

  Rioting in London and a few other major British cities is concentrated in poor areas that can ill afford to deter businesses and jobs

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• Fed to hold rates steady for two years

  by David Gura

  The Federal Reserve said the economy is still suffering, and took the unprecedented step of saying it will hold rates at nearly zero until the middle of 2013

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• Fannie and Freddie downgrades could ripple through the economy

  by Stacey Vanek Smith

  

  The downgrades of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could make it more difficult for Americans to buy a house, and further damage the wider economy

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• Oil prices sing the recession blues

  by Eve Troeh

  But on the upside, it could mean lower gas prices at the pump

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• The downgrade’s effect on cities’ budgets and growth

  by Marketplace Staff

  Michael Bissonette, mayor of Chicopee, Mass., discusses how the S&P downgrade decision is already affecting his city and its plans for expansion and job growth

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