Economy

A woman tries on a jacket at a Zara store in Madrid. Zara's parent company, Inditex, was among Spanish companies to sign fire and building safety agreements for their factories in Bangladesh following a deadly factory collapse in April, though Inditex was

Fashion's Victims: An Artist's Focus On Garment Workers

2:35pm June 19, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

More than 1,000 people were killed in the factory collapse in Bangladesh in April. Spanish companies were among those whose clothes were made at the facility. But there's a clash between the allure of low-cost fast fashion and consumer awareness of working conditions. A Spanish artist is doing her bit: She's drawing attention to workers' plight.

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A worker installs parts on a Chrysler SUV engine at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit. Plants in the U.S. are now operating above 90 percent capacity, but automakers are wary of adding large numbers of new workers.

U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady

9:40am June 19, 2013

by Sonari Glinton

Profits for the nation's carmakers are on the rise, but after years of doing more with less, higher profits are unlikely to translate into significant numbers of new jobs. There are eight fewer plants and hundreds of thousands fewer workers in the industry than before the Great Recession.

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Clearly, he's as surprised by the allegations as the rest of us.

Economy

Dirty Spuds? Alleged Potato Cartel Accused Of Price Fixing

4:09pm June 18, 2013

by Maria Godoy

A civil lawsuit that shifted into U.S. district court in Idaho last week alleges that the United Potato Growers of America has become a veritable OPEC of spuds. The group is accused of using high-tech, strong-arm tactics to inflate potato prices.

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European Aviation Firms Spotlighted At Paris Air Show

1:52pm June 18, 2013

by Eleanor Beardsley

The world's premier commercial and military aviation and space trade fair is underway. The Paris Air Show is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The competition between European and U.S. plane makers Airbus and Boeing is a staple of the show.

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Economy

Long-Term Interest Rates Start Moving Higher

1:13pm June 17, 2013

The bond market has pushed interest to the highest levels in 15 months, and that includes mortgage rates. David Greene talks to David Wessel, economics editor at The Wall Street Journal, about rising interest rates.

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Poor Economy Encourages Scientists To Leave Spain

1:13pm June 17, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

More than 40,000 scientists in Spain have signed a petition calling on their government to freeze budget cuts blamed for an exodus of the country's best and brightest researchers. As the Spanish government struggles to avoid a bailout, it has cut the number of university jobs and research grants.

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American-Israeli solar entrepreneur Yosef Abramowitz, aka Captain Sunshine, speaks during a rally of electric car owners in Israel.

Can Captain Sunshine Save The Israeli Electric Car Dream?

8:19am June 16, 2013

by Emily Harris

The electric car company Better Place failed to build the dream it had designed. Its bankruptcy left tech-watchers worried about the stain on the country, which is proud of its image as a startup hotbed. But there may be a savior in the wings.

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Harlem funeral directors Tamara Bullock and Patricia Hamilton are going to spend their next savings-club payout on a sky-diving trip (unless Bullock can get out of it).

When People Make Their Own Banks

6:12pm June 14, 2013

by Marianne McCune

An ex-con lends money to people in need; a group of friends creates a savings club. Even without banks, people often figure out how to get the money they need, when they need it.

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Housing Market Watchers Edgy As Mortgage Rates Keep Climbing

6:12pm June 14, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

The Federal Reserve's economic stimulus has helped keep mortgage rates at record lows in the years since the Great Recession. But rates are ticking upward, leaving some investors worried that the nascent housing recovery will suffer if the Fed unravels its policies too quickly.

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Economy

Detroit's Emergency Manager Meets With Creditors

6:49am June 14, 2013

by Sarah Swiek

Kevyn Orr will ask unions, retirees and banks to take big losses on debt the city just can't afford to pay. But Orr is walking a fine line trying to convince those parties to accept a bankruptcy-style settlement, without actually going to bankruptcy court — at least, not yet.

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