Japan's Prime Minister wanted to take the postal system there private, to open up its $3 trillion in holdings to private investors. Today, Parliament said: fat chance. It's sent the ruling party into a tailspin; Joceyln Ford reports in the 9:50am newscast.

As McDonald's goes, so goes the market? If the success of the Golden Arches is any indication of the health of the US economy, things may be pretty rosy. The fast food Big Mac posted an almost 5% gain in same-store global sales, much better than some analysts expected, and the 28th straight month of growth.

Today, crude prices hit a record high of nearly $63 dollars a barrel. You name it — Iran's nuclear program, US refineries, Mideast security threats — it's affecting the price of oil. Stephen Beard reports in the 8:50am newscast.

A census report out today Los Angeles county leads the nation in the number of businesses, 235,000 companies, including dear old Marketplace. But if you're looking for the fattest paychecks, they're in the Big Apple. The report says the average salary in Manhattan is $73,000 a year.