Monday, August 13, 2007
In this show. . .
No bailout, an 'investment opportunity'
Goldman Sachs announced it's pouring $3 billion with the help of investors into one of its hedge funds that lost 32% of its value in the past week. It might walk like a bailout and talk like a bailout but, as Amy Scott reports, don't call it a bailout.
Mortgage-backed securities 101
Mortgage-backed securities seem to be at the root of the markets' problems these days. So what exactly are they? Kai Ryssdal turns to portfolio manager Mike Hatley to help us all understand.
Is there subprime in your portfolio?
Chances are some of us have skin in the subprime game too, even if we don't know it. Ashley Milne-Tyte has been looking into how individual investors might get hit.
Fed will likely avoid 'moral hazard'
Should the Federal Reserve pump money into the system to help out institutional players who took big risks when times were good and money was cheap? Commentator Krishna Guha says that's looking at it the wrong way.
Travel with a lot less baggage
As anyone who travels by air knows, getting your bags through security can be a serious hassle. So a few businesses that ship luggage door-to-door are finding some new clients. Alex Goldmark reports.
Need a raise? Keep performance high
Many of us are feeling some kind of financial pinch at the moment, what with high energy prices, rising school fees, health insurance costs... But don't count on the boss to help you out much. Helen Palmer reports.
Beach reads: Taking from the rich...
We've asked some of our commentators to give us their picks for the best business beach book ever. Nell Minow kicks off our weeklong series with a classic tale about a thief. Give us your picks, too.
Syrians' welcome to Iraqis cools
The only country in the world that willingly admits Iraqi refugees is Syria. So far, roughly 1.5 million Iraqis have fled there. But some Syrians want the welcome mat rolled up. Jennifer Glasse reports.
Kai Ryssdal's final note...
Brooke Astor has died. Over the course of her life, the philanthropist and socialite gave away over $200 million to New York institutions. They include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York Public Library and Central Park.
Astor inherited her fortune when her husband, Vincent Astor passed away. He was the great-great grandson of John Jacob Astor, who first amassed the family fortune in the fur trading business.
Brooke Astor was 105 years old.
Marketplace datebook for Tuesday, August 14, 2007
- In Washington, the Labor Department reports on the Producer Price Index for July.
- On this date in 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law.
- And a Viking replica ship is due to arrive in Dublin after a long journey from Denmark. The Sea Stallion measures 30 meters in length and has 60 oars aboard. It carries 65 crew members — on holiday.
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Music From This Show
Marketplace Confessional
"I disagree with Diana Nyad, who told Bob Moon today that Americans are not interested in Wimbledon because there are so few Americans playing. I love watching tennis, no matter who is playing. I have watched tennis for years, but the networks toy with us, creating drama rather than showing the match. Oftentimes, televised matches end precisely when the allotted time expires, even if they have to cut and splice. When they don't, as happened in a Nadal match last weekend, we were left hanging at the end of two sets, as NBC switched to women's golf. I don't have cable TV, so I couldn't switch to MSNBC as was suggested. It's enough to make me turn off the TV and read about the matches online."
Your Host
Kai Ryssdal took the reins as host of Marketplace in August 2005 after hosting the Marketplace Morning Report for more than four years. Before joining Marketplace, Kai was … Full bio
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