Mar 12, 2015

Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday, March 12, 2015

Airing on Thursday, March 12, 2015: The Federal Reserve just released the results of its second round of stress tests, and two European banks have failed. We chat with the BBC's Andrew Walker about what went wrong. Next up: Bankrate.com issues its survey on how Americans intend to use their tax refunds. Are Americans really as frugal and responsible as they claim to be? Finally, we get the latest dispatch the LearningCurve team at the SXSWedu conference in Austin.

Segments From this episode

Juries to decide if Uber drivers are 'contractors'

by Adam Allington

Mar 12, 2015

Pending lawsuits could upend the way Uber and its smaller rival, Lyft, operate.

Uber's new delivery service offers to pick up your toothpaste, allergy medicine and a list of other items from the convenience store for you.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Mid-day Update

PODCAST: Courts could upend Uber's model

by David Brancaccio

Mar 12, 2015

First up: The ride services Uber and Lyft failed to convince a pair of U.S. judges on Wednesday that their drivers are “independent contractors” rather than regular employees. Class-action lawsuits – brought by drivers of both companies – will now go to jury trial, the results for which could have important consequences for the sharing economy. […]

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Google launches new cloud ‘cold storage’ service

by Dan Gorenstein

Mar 12, 2015

“Nearline” offers faster retrieval for older data.

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Unpredictable weather is remaking the ski industry

by Sam Harnett

Mar 12, 2015

While small ski areas struggle, larger ones are finding new ways to make a profit.

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Taxpayers say they plan to spend refunds responsibly

by Mitchell Hartman

Mar 12, 2015

A survey found 34 percent of taxpayers will pay down debt with their refund.

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Airing on Thursday, March 12, 2015: The Federal Reserve just released the results of its second round of stress tests, and two European banks have failed. We chat with the BBC’s Andrew Walker about what went wrong. Next up: Bankrate.com issues its survey on how Americans intend to use their tax refunds. Are Americans really as frugal and responsible as they claim to be? Finally, we get the latest dispatch the LearningCurve team at the SXSWedu conference in Austin.