Marketplace AM for January 18, 2006

The Supreme Court has upheld Oregon's assisted suicide law. Critics worry the law will encourage poor patients to choose suicide rather than burden their families with expensive medical bills. But as Sam Eaton reports, that hasn't been the case in Oregon.

A criminal probe into one of Japan's highest-profile Internet companies led to an early close on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for the first time in history. The market's directors declared "an emergency" of overloaded computers. From Tokyo, Steve Herman reports that before the early close, the country's benchmark Nikkei index had plunged nearly 3%.

Hedge fund investor William Ackerman wants to boost MacDonald's share price by leveraging the value of the land that sits beneath each of its restaurants. He plans to take his vision to shareholders in a presentation today. Dan Grech reports.

Commentator Robert Reich bemoans a surprising bank practice that's keeping him from accessing his money.