Marketplace: News Archives

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Listen to the entire show in RealAudio

Newscast Today: Dow rises 16.45 (+0.17%); NASDAQ jumps 21.62 (+1.24%); S&P 500 goes up 2.61 (+0.26%) Baghdad blast at UN “headquarters”: What does today's attack mean for the UN's reconstruction efforts? Some say that until the security in Iraq is established and stable, the politics will not work. Borzou Daragahi reports from Baghdad: He wonders whether the bombing will curtail some of the UN’s efforts at reconstructing Iraq. Many now-shell shocked staffers say they didn’t feel like targets because they were helping people. Deadly suicide bombing in Israel prompts government to call off planned hand-off of two West Bank towns to Palestinian authorities French blocking a move to lift UN sanctions imposed on Libya after the Lockerbie bombing, demanding compensation for another terrorist attack More Americans than ever filed for personal bankruptcy protection recently. Some say that's due to overspending; others say it's hard to absorb economic blows. Listen to all newscast items

Features Music Bridge: This is the Day - Ivy Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Your purchase helps support Marketplace. Commentary - There isn’t a housing bubble now Builders broke ground on more homes in July than any time in the past 17 years. Some say that the bubble will soon burst and bring prices back to earth -- not so fast, says commentator Susanne Trimbath. We have endlessly stoked demand, says Trimbath, but many buyers quickly discover demand exceeds supply because of fees and insurance that add thousands to a homebuilder’s costs. So, now, developers build houses to spec to avoid paying for it all up front. Problem is homebuilders couldn’t build homes fast enough, so they stopped selling in advance. To balance demand with supply, she suggests building up urban centers and building more suburban houses. “Until we start thinking outside of our four walls, home prices won’t stabilize any time soon,” says Trimbath. Commentator: Susanne Trimbath

Japan: Even in a down economy, high rises go up In a recession, developers often cancel construction projects. But in Tokyo, Japan, luxury skyscrapers are shooting up like bamboo, despite the country's decade-long economic stagnation. Why? Many of the projects were planned during the economic bubble and couldn’t be halted even with a downward-spiraling economy. But with boom times long gone, developers have to offer sweet deals to fill their buildings. Economists worry the new building glut could drag down the already depressed real estate market. Reporter: Jessica Smith Music Bridge: High Tech Hippies - Yellow Magic Orchestra

Aetna settles lawsuit with dentists Aetna, the nation’s third largest health insurer, will pay more than $6 million to settle a class-action lawsuit with 147,000 dentists over claims payments. Until now, many dentists said it has been a real pain dealing with Aetna because they constantly ran into multiple delays in claims that were filed. The dentists also allege that Aetna "downcoded" -- only paying for the cheapest treatment options -- and "bundled" several treatments together for a lower reimbursement rate. Aetna says the settlement will decrease paperwork and speed up payments. A federal judge must still approve the Aetna settlement. Reporter: Tanya Ott

Testing drugs on people is big business Before a drug goes to market, it has to be tested on humans. Companies spend billions of dollars a year on human clinical trials in order to win final government approval for their products. Reporter Helen Palmer has seen the clinical trials industry first hand -- for the past 3 years, she has been a human guinea pig, testing a new treatment for osteoporosis. But there’s a critical shortage of people willing to participate -- and these delays are costly. The costs related to finding the right participants has launched a new industry: professional patient recruiters. Reporter: Helen Palmer Music Bridge: Harmony - Clinic Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Your purchase helps support Marketplace.

Tomorrow On Marketplace... Are you turning into an ATM for your kids? We’ll have some tips and tricks on how to teach your kids financial independence.