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Pompeo travels to boost U.S. interests in South Asia

Jul 31, 2018
The U.S. Secretary of State plans to visit Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia this week as part of the Trump administration’s increased focus on what they call the “Indo-Pacific region.” The U.S. plans to spend $113 million on new initiatives in the region.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies during a hearing before Senate Foreign Relations Committee July 25, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC
Alex Wong/Getty Images

"Money is never enough,” the former federal education secretary says

Jul 24, 2018
We need high expectations for kids along with investment in schools, Arne Duncan says.
Then-Education Secretary Arne Duncan talks with second-graders at Paul Revere Elementary school in San Francisco in 2009
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

As Trump prepares for NATO summit, we ask: What’s our NATO ROI?

Jul 9, 2018
President Donald Trump frequently complains about NATO. Just this morning he was tweeting about how NATO allies aren’t spending enough; that the U.S. pays an unfair share. It’s true that NATO members are supposed to spend 2 percent of their GDP on their military. It’s also true that only about eight of NATO’s 29 members […]

Which economic stats matter most?

Jul 9, 2018
Our listener asks which economic statistics are the best predictors of future economic performance.
A financial professional loosk at his computer screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the end of the trading day Dec. 16, 2008 in New York City. 
Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Short-termism not long for Wall Street?

Jun 7, 2018
Only about a quarter of public companies continue to include earnings predictions in their quarterly reports. Guidance is not required by law, and experts say it has become the tail that wags the dog. Once companies forecast earnings for the coming quarter, they manage their businesses to meet — or beat — those forecasts, which […]

A handful of new tech companies are hoping to bring new people into the stock market

May 29, 2018
Federal Reserve data show that just 14 percent of U.S. families own stock directly, and only 52 percent have a retirement account. It’s a highly skewed group: White households are far more likely to hold stock than black or Hispanic households, while the vast majority of stock holdings belong to the wealthiest 5 percent. Economists say […]

Congress weighs changes to foreign investment oversight

May 21, 2018
The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act is likely headed for a vote in the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday.
The flag of the People's Republic of China hangs next to an American flag in New York.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Investors are anxious about Tesla fairy tale

May 2, 2018
Cache, yes, and, lots of questions for electric carmaker Tesla. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

U.S. oil companies take cautious approach despite higher prices and demand

Apr 27, 2018
With the U.S.-based oil giants Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. scheduled to release their first quarter 2018 earnings Friday morning, we look at the state of the oil industry. Companies are reaping the benefits from higher oil prices and demand. But what is big oil investing in these days, with an eye toward the future? Click […]

"The China Hustle" tells the story of a massive fraud you probably haven't heard about

Apr 2, 2018
In this documentary, director Jed Rothstein follows several acitivist investors who blew the whistle on dozens of fraudulent Chinese companies.
A scene from the film "The China Hustle." Activist short sellers investigated several Chinese companies that misled investors on the value of their company and used video surveillance on production facilities to see how busy they were.
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures