Marketplace: Thursday, October 7, 2004

Listen (entire show) | how to listen | sign up for newsletter | order transcript

A look at today's markets (closing numbers)
DOW 114.52 (1.12%) ; NASDAQ 22.51 (1.14%) ; S&P 500 11.40 (1.00%)

Newscast When Merck pulled its arthritis drug Vioxx off shelves last week, the company took a big hit...and so did some other drug makers... The House is hunkering down to vote on that huge corporate tax bill we've been talking about all week. The thing is more than 600 pages of tax breaks. And yet this was supposed to be a bill to eliminate tax breaks - particularly those that violate World Trade rules... The meltdown at Parmalat, otherwise known as Europe's Enron scandal, is making waves in North Carolina. Today the bankrupt European food group blamed Bank of America for helping Parmalat disguise its finances before its collapse... Someone's been paying down their credit cards. The Federal Reserve today said the amount of consumer debt fell in August. That's the first drop since November, 2003. Wall Street was expecting consumers to have added more than $5 billion---when in fact it fell by about half that amount. Listen to all newscast items

Features Iraq's old money-making scam Iraq may not have been hiding weapons of mass destruction, but it was squirreling away billions of ill-gotten dollars from a United Nations humanitarian program. At least that's the charge buried in the details of a new report from report from Washington's Iraq Survey Group. The report says the program that allowed Iraq to sell oil to buy food and medicine was rotten from the top down. And it claims that Saddam Hussein wasn't the only one to profit. Reporter: Gretchen Cook Related Story: Bush, Cheney concede Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction Oil it Boil It - Rudy Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Who will the economists vote for? On the eve of a second debate, there are dueling numbers today regarding who's ahead in the presidential contest. But for the purposes of Marketplace, we were curious about a matter that has less to do with the horse race. Would George Bush or John Kerry do a better job with the economy? That's the question the Economist Magazine put to a sampling of economics professors. Our commentator shares the results. Commentator: Zanny Minton-Beddoes Related Story: The running mates lock horns Focus on Sight - Thievery Corporation Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Competing for aid If this doesn't work, the entire country could slide into chaos. That less than encouraging assessment today from rebels in Sudan as the government today announced new talks to end a civil war there. The world's attention has been drawn to the remote western part of the part of the country. Darfur has been called the worst humanitarian crisis is the world right now. But a slow strangling drought is sweeping the entire continent. Experts say 26 countries need more than $200 million in food aid--and soon. As Eric Whitney reports, this new crisis is coming to a head in Kenya where 10 percent of the population is in danger of starving. Reporter: Eric Whitney Related Story: Africa's woes make it terror haven says Blair God Moving Over the Face of the Water - Moby Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Can the Red Sox go all the way? As the baseball playoffs heat up, host David Brown speaks to Marketplace's Business of Sports analyst Diana Nyad about what teams the TV networks are rooting for. Q + A: David Brown with Diana Nyad Web Resource: Follow the baseball playoffs on ESPS.com! Baseball Theme - Vince Guaraldi Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource An Ikea state-of-mind How do you mend a broken heart? How do you stop the rain from falling down? We'll leave that to you and your Bee Gees records to resolve. But let's assume you've crossed the transom--finally reconciled to your irreconcilable differences. Now you--or your newly insignificant other---will need something to sleep on. A place to put the alarm clock. A tea kettle would be comforting. If you're like a lot of people, you may find yourself leaning on a store that's become a virtual market for the lovelorn on the mend. Matt Holzman has our story. Reporter: Matt Holzman Related Story: New IKEA workers in a frenzy Walk Away - Ben Harper Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource

Coming up on Marketplace... A is for advertising?