Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, December 16, 2016

Segments From This Episode

• With ‘Rogue One’ and more, how far can Disney stretch the ‘Star Wars’ franchise?

  

  Disney paid $4 billion for the “Star Wars” franchise — and “Indiana Jones” — when it bought Lucasfilm.  It seems the movie studio is quite intent on getting its money’s worth.  The new movie “Rogue One” opens in theaters today — the first of two, possibly more, stand-alone “Star Wars” films that Disney has in […]

  Share

• Slowly rising rates shouldn’t hurt housing market

  by Mark Garrison

  

  New data out this week show the average 30-year fixed mortgage at 4.16 percent. That’s a 2016 high, and is set to keep rising with the Fed promising more interest rate hikes. That means home buying is getting more expensive just ahead of the important spring selling season. But the economy is strengthening overall, which […]

  Share

• Christmas tree growers fight for sales

  by Marielle Segarra

  

  Got Milk? Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner. The Incredible, Edible Egg. All of these advertising slogans have something in common: they were created by marketing groups, overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and funded by fees collected from farmers. Now you can add another slogan to the list: “It’s Christmas. Keep it Real.” It […]

  Share

• How Facebook is taking on the responsibilities of a news organization

  by David Brancaccio

  Facebook's fight against fake news articles, the new biggest holder of U.S. debt, and artificial vs. real Christmas trees.

  Share