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in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 13 May 2008
Commentator Todd Buchholz warns of a stock market crash due in 2011 -- that's when the first Baby Boomers hit 65. He predicts that for steady income, Boomers will dump their stocks and buy bonds, sending stock prices into a tailspin. The solution? Keep the capital gains tax low (he calls them "dividend taxes" to confound the issue). Buchholz makes sure to throw in reminders that the new retirees are likely to live into their 90s, and that it will be everyone younger left holding devalued stocks, but it's basically all a coating to make his agenda -- don't raise capital gains taxes, please -- innocuous.
Posted 9:32, 14 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 12 May 2008
Scammers are going retro. People are receiving mail offering checks for thousands of dollars -- settling the estate of a heretofore-unknown distant relative is usually the story -- but only if you agree to pay the sender "fees." The twist? It's not email spam; this junk mail is on good old-fashioned paper, delivered to your mailbox. Reporter Sally Herships investigates the phenomenon, finding that with an average $3,000 raked in per victim, the crooks can afford to use snail mail. One expert reminds people to be vigilant and police your mailbox just as thoroughly as you police your inbox.
Posted 11:31, 13 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 9 May 2008
As part of the ongoing Food Fight series, reporter Sam Eaton goes to a family-run tamale factory in Los Angeles to discover how rising ingredient prices are affecting the food industry. La Indiana Tamale's Raul Ramos has absorbed a threefold increase in corn costs in the past year, but he refuses to downgrade -- customers can tell the difference. On the other hand, Kraft, Nestle, and others have already begun using lower-quality ingredients: more water in Miracle Whip; lower-quality wheat in bread. The atmospheric sounds of the tamale factory and Eaton's diverse selection of interview sources make this segment shine.
Posted 10:55, 12 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 8 May 2008
While regular passengers undergo wanding and store approved amounts of liquids in see-through bags, foreign employees board planes at British airports without a criminal records check. British law does require background searches -- but only of UK records, not foreign records. Foreigners comprise an unknown number of Britain's 200,000 airport employees, and the security loophole looms large -- news that has caused an "absolute furor." Even so, the British government won't take any action until a security review is issued sometime in late summer. The news is not very comforting, as Scott Jagow comments in a remarkable understatement.
Posted 10:12, 9 May 2008
This abstract was written by
HL Carpenter
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 7 May 2008
Farmer Richard Oswald joins the show with a commentary on how business is faring amid the global food crisis. For the first time in 40 years, he says, he's making enough money to save for retirement and pay for health care, thanks to booming commodity prices. He's sympathetic to the opposite pole, spiraling food prices, but notes that the cost of the grain in a bowl of cereal is only about 2 cents. The message -- don't begrudge the family farmer this temporary windfall -- succeeds, even though Oswald's folksy tone only reinforces stereotypes of the laconic farmer.
Posted 9:49, 8 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 6 May 2008
The burgeoning local food movement is suffering some growing pains as its popularity grows. Economies of scale throw a monkey wrench into the best laid plans: Small restaurants naturally have the agility to modify their menus for local produce and weather vagaries, but large food-service operations are finding that planning and close relationships with growers is key. Philadelphia's Farm to Institution project is one nonprofit filling this niche, working to wed institutional kitchens with local farmers. Though it seems an unreachable goal, this well-rounded segment makes it sound possible.
Posted 2:38, 7 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 5 May 2008
"Candy man" Allan Sloan (blame host Scott Jagow for the nickname) takes a break from Fortune Magazine to chat about the Mars-Wrigley merger. In an interview worthwhile for its gossipy, relaxed tone, Jagow quizzes Sloan on the investors (Mars and Berkshire-Hathaway "may have more money than God"), the potential culture clash of privately owned Mars and public Wrigley, and the marketplace power the conglomerate will wield. As a bonus, Sloan puns it up, delivering zingers about chewing over a question and wishing Jagow a sweet day at the conclusion.
Posted 9:24, 7 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 2 May 2008
The ranks of the uninsured and the self-insured are growing, finds a health care study by the Commonwealth Fund. Reporter Nancy Marshall Genzer finds out one big reason why: Companies, even large ones, are dropping health insurance for their workers. The net result is $45 billion paid by taxpayers for government-funded health care and unpaid hospital bills. Genzer uncovers only vague reasons for the increase, namely a tanking economy and skyrocketing costs. It's an unsatisfying story that would benefit from more details.
Posted 2:20, 5 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 1 May 2008
Individual investors who want to practice leveraging in their investments are required by law to put up at least 50 percent of their own money. Laws only apply to the little people though, and a critical cause of the financial industry meltdown is that banks and brokerages have wagered, in many cases, only 3 percent of their own money. When investors began clamoring for their cash -- which didn't exist -- the banks began feverishly working to raise capital, with some success. Reporter Amy Scott talks about Wall Street's dryout process with financial experts, who laconically point to similarities between today and 1929, yet maintain the markets will right themselves without regulation.
Posted 10:26, 2 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.
in Marketplace
by
American Public Media, 30 April 2008
Politicians are proposing a gas tax holiday this summer, saving Americans 18 cents a gallon, and commentator Robert Reich thinks it's an awful idea -- people will simply drive more, which will only drive oil prices even higher, and it will cost taxpayers $10 billion. The real solution, he says, is two-pronged. Strengthen the dollar, which will help stabilize oil prices, and institute a windfall profits tax on oil companies to fund research into alternative energy sources. Though Reich always seems to prefer raising or creating a tax rather than cutting them, in this case his argument is persuasive.
Posted 4:23, 1 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Amy DeGeus
and edited by Brijit.