NPR: Business Story of the Day Podcast: Episodes
Black Friday was not as bad as many retailers had expected. One estimate shows American shoppers spent 3 percent more on the first day of the holiday shopping season than last year. To find out how some retailers did, we check in with a high-end mall in a St. Louis suburb, an outlet mall in San Marcos, ...
Move over Turkey Day — Black Friday is here. That's the day when merchants hope to get into the black. Given the current economic turmoil, retailers are using drastic sales to try to attract business. NPR's Tamara Keith, is at Best Buy outside Washington, D.C., and she talks with Steve Inskeep ...
An upscale pawn shop in one of the nation's priciest ZIP codes has become an alternative bank for people who can't get their bankers to lend. Asset-rich but cash-poor, the denizens of Los Angeles are bringing in everything from Picassos to their wives' diamond rings.
It's a common story: You lose your job, and your health insurance goes with it. But it doesn't always have to be this way. An expert offers several alternatives to prevent your medical bills from adding to your stress.
The Dow Jones industrial average had its biggest two-day percentage gain since October 1987, nearly 12 percent. The index followed Friday's big rally with a surge of nearly 400 points Monday. Still, the overall trend of the market is down. Some of that may be attributed to forced selling.
Lenders are tightening their standards for new loans and credit cards, and they're paying close attention to an applicant's credit score. That score, called a FICO score, often determines whether the applicant will get credit and at what interest rate.
Some would-be investors may be too scared to dip their toe into the investment world of stocks and bonds. Now they don't have to worry, and can take the plunge in fantasy investing. It works similarly to fantasy sports leagues. Faux investors are using virtual investing games like "Wall Street Survivor" ...
As companies try to survive the rough economy, they are cutting costs. The person in charge of deciding where and how deeply to cut is often the chief financial officer. <em>CFO Magazine</em> recently interviewed more than 300 CFOs, and nearly half said they plan to lay off workers. Kate O'Sullivan, ...
The poor outlook for the holiday shopping season is forcing retailers to slash seasonal jobs. L.L. Bean is filling 23 percent fewer positions this year. The nationwide squeeze on holiday work comes just as more Americans say they will look for second jobs because of the uncertain economy.
As Americans trim their budgets, some businesses are ready for thrifty activity. In St. Louis, a shoe repair shop has seen business skyrocket as the economy prompts more customers to have shoes fixed instead of buying new ones. Jeff Lipson of Cobblestone Shoe Repair is a third-generation cobbler, and ...
Gift cards are popular holiday presents, but retail bankruptcies may render some cards worthless. Consumers tend to hold onto the cards for months — if not years — after receiving them. And many people spend more than the value of the card once they get to the store.
One year ago, economists were worried about inflation. Now, they are worried about deflation — prices for everything from corn to soybeans to gold are falling. While it might seem like lower prices could be a good thing, unchecked deflation can bring economic activity to a standstill. Economists ...
The Bush administration is setting a new course for its massive $700 billion economic rescue plan. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says the government won't be buying distressed assets after all, and will look for other ways to shore up the financial industry.
As the stock market has dropped, millions of Americans are afraid to look at their 401(k) accounts. At a small but growing number of companies — including GM — the news is worse: They're suspending the matching benefits, where employers chip in to match workers' contributions.
As the economy sours and credit remains tight, consumers with poor credit scores are especially vulnerable to those that promise to clean credit histories, boost credit scores and even eliminate bankruptcy filings. But credit repair firms can't always do what they claim, and dozens of them have been sued.
President-elect Barack Obama is expected to create a position of chief technology officer. Technology commentator Mario Armstrong says the position is important because some agencies already have chief information officers, and the effort needs to be centralized to make sure everybody is using the latest ...
Every investor dreads margin calls. It's what happens when people borrow heavily against their assets and then see their value plummet, forcing them to sell part of their holdings to pay their lenders. When the market plunged in October, a lot of corporate executives lost chunks of their fortunes to ...
The faltering economy is the immediate priority for President-elect Barack Obama. Many are waiting to see whom he will pick as the new treasury secretary. He'll also be working on an agenda to stimulate the economy that's likely to include infrastructure projects and financial assistance for states.
Fixing the economy appears to be the No. 1 mandate from voters. President-elect Barack Obama will have his work cut out for him. David Wessel of <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> tells Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep that he expects Obama to make some key decisions as early as this month.
Borrowers hurt by the credit squeeze and investors looking to boost their returns are turning to the same place: peer-to-peer lending. The loans can be quicker than going through a bank — and offer rates of return that can beat government bonds.