Wednesday, August 22, 2007
In this show. . .
Market taking toll on builders
The effects of the subprime crash and ensuing credit crunch have officially rippled over to home builders. Construction of new homes dropped 6.1 percent in July, falling to its lowest level in more than a decade. Amy Scott reports.
Construction jobs hang on
The housing bubble has burst and new home construction has slowed dramatically, but a new study shows that Hispanic construction workers have managed to keep finding work. Though maybe not as much. Dan Grech explains.
When boomers sell, sell, sell!
In the long run, stock prices have always risen over time. But the timeline of that "always" isn't all that long, which has commentator David Frum wondering, what happens if the baby boomers all start selling at once?
Soothing words from the Fed
Wall Street investors are still anxious to hear which direction the Fed might turn next in its attempts to calm the financial markets, but Bernanke's doing everything he can to keep the "real economy" purring. Bob Moon reports.
Teens reaching for souped-up cold ones?
Caffeinated beer may sound like a college student's dream, but some worry the drinks are being marketed to underage consumers as beverage companies grab for their share of the multi-billion dollar energy drink market. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
China tinkers with smog repair
The IOC has warned Beijing that it needs to do something about its pollution problem or risk losing some events during the 2008 Olympics. So the Chinese government forced some 1.3 million cars off the roads in a four-day experiment to clean up the air.
Japan, India come together
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting India with 200 Japanese executives in tow. The motivation behind the high-profile visit: Both countries are looking for economic allies as they warily eye China's rise. Steve Henn explains.
Amer-E*trade?
The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that online brokers TD Ameritrade and E*Trade are considering a merger. A deal would create the largest online broker, valued at about $20 billion, and it could be good for customers, Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
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Music From This Show
- Purple Haze Jimi Hendrix
- Sweater Song Weezer
- Chin Up, Cheer Up Ryan Adams
- Freedom Sounds The Skatalites
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
By age 14, Scott Jagow had no doubt what he would do with his life. He would be a lumberjack. I mean, an astronaut. A seismologist. No, make that a journalist … Full bio
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