Marketplace®

Daily business news and economic stories
  • A series of tax breaks and cuts has led the state in a downward spiral ever since the housing crisis and recession hit.

  • U.S. gross domestic product growth in the last quarter of 2010 was lower than estimated because spending by state and local governments declined.

  • Governor Rick Perry is against the idea, pushing instead for budget cuts.

  • Wisconsin protests go wide to Indiana and other states across the Midwest. Thousands of public workers are descending on state capitols to protest states' attempts to balance budgets by stripping unions of bargaining power.

  • President Obama wants to let states suspend billions in interest payments on money borrowed from the federal government to cover unemployment benefits.

  • Individuals can do it. So can municipalities. But why can't states file for bankruptcy? Want the answer? Just ask the Founding Fathers.

  • The debate over whether to let states declare bankruptcy adds a new element of uncertainty to the jittery municipal bond market.

  • Kai Ryssdal talks to Marketplace New York bureau chief Heidi Moore about the current state of the municipal bond market.

  • A bond.
    iStockPhoto

    More than two years after the financial crisis' credit crunch, many cities and states are still feeling the effects — worries about budget deficits has borrowing costs up and the municipal bond market is struggling. Stacey Vanek Smith reports.

  • Jeremy Hobson speaks to Chris Low from FTN Financial about the most important stories in 2010, including jobs and municipal bankruptcies.

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