Economy

Passersby watch share prices spike in Tokyo on April 4, the day Japan's central bank announced a massive purchase of government bonds. The bank hopes the scale of the effort will boost Japan's slow-moving economy.

Japan's Big Stimulus Move Shocks Globe's Market Watchers

5:49pm April 11, 2013

by John Ydstie

Few expected the Bank of Japan's program to buy up government bonds to dwarf the Federal Reserve's similar effort in the U.S. Japan's stock market has soared and the yen's value tumbled. Thus far, the move is boosting exports, but is also making Asian competitors nervous.

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How The Latest Budget Could Affect You

2:51pm April 10, 2013

President Obama unveiled his fifth annual budget proposal to Congress Wednesday, offering a mix of tax increases and spending cuts. The newest changes include cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits. Across the country, some are only beginning to feel the affects of sequestration.

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Some Public Defenders Warn: 'We Have Nothing Left To Cut'

7:20am April 10, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Around the country, budget cuts are bringing some federal public defenders to the breaking point. "We can't not pay the rent, and ... everything else is personnel. We can't send a computer to court," says Washington, D.C., public defender A.J. Kramer.

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Administration Urges Europeans To Ease Austerity Measures

9:14am April 09, 2013

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is on his first trip to Europe, pushing for leaders to let up on strict steps that were enacted during the financial crisis. His trip comes as President Obama prepares to send his budget plan to Congress. It's said to include cuts to Social Security and Medicare. David Greene talks to Lew, who's in Berlin to meet with Germany's finance minister.

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Electrolux's new plant in Memphis, Tenn., is the Swedish appliance company's most modern and high-tech facility. The factory will open this summer while an Electrolux plant in Quebec, Canada, is being shuttered.

One Manufacturing Giant Creates Winners And Losers

9:59pm April 08, 2013

by Andrea Hsu

Residents in Memphis, Tenn., are thrilled that Swedish appliance giant Electrolux is opening a new factory there this year. The company plans to employ 1,200 people at the new, high-tech facility. But in Webster, Iowa, an Electrolux plant closure in 2011 has left the local economy reeling.

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The 'Alchemists' Who Control The Purse Strings Of The Economy

3:03pm April 08, 2013

In a new book, Washington Post economics writer Neil Irwin looks at an elite group of policymakers from around the world who manage the money supply, and explains how money can come from — and disappear into — thin air based on the decisions of these influential men and women.

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Economy

Honda's Growth Helps Tow Ohio Out Of Recession

6:04pm April 05, 2013

by Steve Brown - Host

Honda is moving its North American headquarters from California to Ohio. That's just the latest bit of good news for the Buckeye State and Honda, whose fortunes have been closely tied for decades now.

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Construction Jobs Take A Hit In March After A Fall Boost

6:04pm April 05, 2013

The latest employment numbers showed far fewer jobs were created in March than in February, disappointing those who had hoped robust growth from the winter months would hold into spring. The news overshadowed an effort from the White House to reach out to Republicans on the tax-and-spend front. The president said he would trim the growth in retirement programs if the GOP would accept some higher taxes. NPR's Scott Horsley talks to Robert Siegel about how the two issues are related.

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Economy

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in the Red

10:23am April 05, 2013

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center expects to finish the fiscal year in the red after a rocky start with a new electronic medical records system.

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The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels soar over the Florida Keys during a March 23 air show. The group has canceled several air shows in April and May, reportedly owing to budget cuts.

Sequester Scorecard: A Month Later, Effects Still Up In Air

10:09am April 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

Automatic federal budget cuts that kicked in March 1 have had little initial impact in many parts of the government. In a few programs, however, the effect has been real and painful as the government has begun cutting $85 billion from its spending through the end of September.

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