Mid-day Update

PODCAST: Greece plans referendum, Chris Matthews explains JFK

Mary Dooe Nov 1, 2011
HTML EMBED:
COPY
Mid-day Update

PODCAST: Greece plans referendum, Chris Matthews explains JFK

Mary Dooe Nov 1, 2011
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Here are today’s top headlines from the Marketplace Morning Report and from around the web.

At least half a dozen ruling party members in Greece have called on Prime Minister George Papandreou to resign. That’s after the head of state dropped a bombshell in Athens late yesterday, asking his country to vote on an economic rescue package and all the cuts that go along with it.

Dunkin’ Donuts reported a higher profit as more customers went to its U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants and spent more per visit.

Pfizer reported better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by sales growth of its prescription drugs in emerging markets and its animal health, nutritionals and consumer healthcare products.

Sirius XM Radio’s profit and revenue rose in the third quarter as the satellite radio provider said it spent less to attract new subscribers.

A couple of European financials announced some big layoffs. Danske Bank of Denmark says it’ll cut 2,000 jobs. Credit Suisse announced 1,500 layoffs over the next few months as it scales back on investment banking.

For the month, the Dow was up more than 1,000 points. It’s best month in exactly 9 years. The S&P 500 had its best month in 20 years.

And in New York City, 79th street on the Upper East Side, to be exact. That’s where Mayor Michael Bloomberg lives, and apparently, he’s famous for giving out full size candy bars at Halloween… Not just the bite size ones. But last night, according to the New York Times, the candy-giver-outer at the mayor’s house — who was dressed up as Elmo — was giving out the same old mini Kit-Kats and Tootsie rolls that you can get at a common millionaire’s house. Still, the candy was all given out to trick-or-treaters — $1,000 worth, according to police.

It’s a battle of the Bonds. Not the kind you buy and sell, but the kind you watch and follow at the movies. Roger Moore, who played Agent 007 James Bond on the big screen, gave a speech to students at the Cambridge Union in England. Moore gave kudos to his predecessor in the Bond role, Sean Connery, saying Connery’s a good actor but that his Scottish accent often gets in the way. “It’s a pity,” Moore said. “I can’t understand what he’s saying.”

And in today’s Mid-day Extra, we have an extended interview from Chris Matthews on his new book, and what today’s leaders can learn from JFK.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.