Business

Despite Tumultuous Stock Market, Some Economists Say Inflation Threat Is Exaggerated

6:29pm February 09, 2018

by Jim Zarroli

The economic expansion has come with high corporate profits, but barely any wage growth. Now, markets are in a tizzy over a a recent bump up in wages. But Germany has an even tighter job market without higher inflation, and one measure of job market tightness — the number of people who quit jobs to take new ones — remains low.

Queue Listen Now

It's been a volatile week on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and Friday was no exception.

Economy

Stocks End Tumultuous Week On An Up Note

5:16pm February 09, 2018

by Avie Schneider

The Dow rebounded Friday, closing up more than 300 points. But the index lost about 5 percent for the week as the markets focused on inflation and ballooning government debt.

Economy

The Job Market Is Almost There

4:00pm February 09, 2018

Today on the show: What our three favorite jobs numbers tell us about the state of the economy.

An Uber driverless Ford Fusion drives in Pittsburgh in 2016. On Friday, Uber and Google's Waymo self-driving unit announced a settlement in their trade secrets case.

Uber, Google's Waymo Settle Case Over Trade Secrets For Self-Driving Cars

3:53pm February 09, 2018

by Ian Wren

Representatives for both companies confirmed they reached a settlement valued at $245 million, ending a week of courtroom drama. Google had accused Uber of poaching its top self-driving engineer.

The White House at night last week. President Trump has picked a new ethics chief, who, unlike past appointments, has won praise from experts.

Politics & Government

Trump's Choice For Ethics Chief Wins Praise As 'Somebody Who Plays It By The Book'

2:04pm February 09, 2018

by Peter Overby

Emory Rounds III is a career civil servant. If confirmed as director of the Office of Government Ethics, he will take charge of an agency under considerable pressure.

A Bean Boot is seen in the return bin at an L.L. Bean retail store in Freeport, Maine.

National

L.L. Bean Scraps Legendary Lifetime Return Policy

12:50pm February 09, 2018

by Amita Kelly

In a letter to customers Friday morning, the company said it has updated its return policy to give customers one year to return purchases, with a receipt.

Jill Messick, at the premiere of Hot Rod in Los Angeles in 2007, "was victimized by our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact," her family said.

Jill Messick, Hollywood Producer Embroiled In Weinstein Scandal, Dies By Suicide

11:45am February 09, 2018

by Scott Neuman

Messick had been a manager for actress Rose McGowan in 1997, when McGowan says Weinstein raped her. "She became collateral damage in an already horrific story," the family says.

Two investors chat while keeping an eye on stock price movements shown on a screen at a securities company in Shanghai on Friday.

Asian Markets Catch Wall Street's Cold

7:43am February 09, 2018

by Scott Neuman

For the second time this week, markets in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Japan followed 1,000-point plunges of the Dow with big sell-offs of their own.

Economy

Stock Market Continues Swing Downward

6:19am February 09, 2018

by John Ydstie

Stocks were down sharply on Thursday in a selloff that took the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 1,000 points.

Queue Listen Now

News Brief: Government Funding Lapses, Market Volatility, Syria

4:52am February 09, 2018

The federal government's funding lapsed after Sen. Rand Paul stalled a vote. Also, a look at recent swings in the stock market and how the fight against ISIS in Syria is getting more complicated.