Economy

Middle-Class Immigrant Family Says Greed Is Eclipsing The American Dream

10:04am May 01, 2016

In this week's "Hanging On" series about the American middle class, NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with business owners Manolo Betancur and Zhenia Martinez. They own Las Delicias Bakery in Charlotte, N.C.

Puerto Rico Headed For Default As Congress Tackles Relief Plan

7:58am April 30, 2016

The U.S. territory is expected to default May 1 on a debt payment of nearly half a billion dollars. Scott Simon examines the impact of a default with Wall Street Journal correspondent Nick Timiraos.

Chefs Come Together For One Of Their Own

6:51pm April 29, 2016

by David Ford

In the Triad today, artisans, chefs, and purveyors from more than twenty local restaurants are banding together over hot dogs.

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Code Switch And Hidden Brain Teamed Up For An #AirbnbWhileBlack Twitter Chat

4:32pm April 29, 2016

by Leah Donnella

On Friday, Code Switch's Gene Demby and Hidden Brain's Shankar Vedantam led a Twitter chat to discuss what it's like to be a person of color participating in the sharing economy.

Apple's Lousy Week Could Signal Times Of Trouble For Tech Giant

4:28pm April 29, 2016

by Aarti Shahani

Apple got hit with a lot of bad news this week. First, the company posted its first quarterly revenue drop since 2003. And then billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn revealed that he has dumped all of his shares in Apple. NPR explores whether the company is really in trouble or if is this all just a bump in the road.

How Managing Money Creates Huge Profits For The Federal Reserve

4:28pm April 29, 2016

by David Kestenbaum

The government is getting $100 billion this year, essentially from nowhere. It is the profit made by the Federal Reserve. The Fed is in charge of managing how many dollars are in the economy. It turns out to be a very profitable business, especially since the financial crisis, when the Fed threw an extra $3 trillion into the economy.

U.S. Steel Says China Is Using Cyber Stealth To Steal Its Secrets

3:38pm April 29, 2016

by Marilyn Geewax

The steelmaker is asking a U.S. agency to investigate its claims that the Chinese government not only dumps steel at unfair prices, but also uses computer hackers to steal intellectual property.

To Lure Patients, Pennsylvania Hospital Refunds Unhappy Customers

3:38pm April 29, 2016

by Jess Jiang

As patients increasingly have more choice in hospitals, hospitals look to stand out. Geisinger Health is taking cue from retail and refunding unsatisfied customers. Experts say that's smart business.

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Comcast Buys DreamWorks Animation For $3.8 Billion In Race Against Disney

7:58am April 29, 2016

by Andrew Limbong

Cable industry analyst Craig Moffett says this move puts Comcast in closer competition with Disney — not necessarily on the big screen, but on television and among other comcast-owned franchises.

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Economy

Economists Say Trade Is Good, As Long Resources Are Refocused On Workers

7:21am April 29, 2016

by John Ydstie

As opposed to renegotiating trade deals, some economists argue a better approach would be to support those who've lost jobs. The U.S. has underfunded employment programs, compared to other economies.

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