ECONOMY

Commercial Real Estate Demand Softens, Investors Fret Trump Tax Cuts Won't Pass

7:53am July 05, 2017

by Jim Zarroli

Revenue from President Trump's office buildings is falling. The problem: commercial real estate prices are declining. In New York, buildings are rising and older properties have to compete harder.

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Economy

Affordable Housing Market Hurt By Tax Overhaul Uncertainty

6:32am July 05, 2017

by Simon Rios

The prospect of Trump's tax overhaul has cut the value of low-income housing tax credits 10 to 15 percent. Funding for units across the U.S. is in question, and less housing will be built as a result.

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New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney (left) and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto shake hands as they announce an agreement to end the state budget impasse Monday night in Trenton.

New Jersey, Maine Reach Budget Deals, Ending Government Shutdowns

11:40am July 04, 2017

by Doreen McCallister

State beaches and parks will be open in New Jersey — just in time for July 4 — after a $34.7 billion budget deal was reached Monday night. In Maine, a $7.1 billion deal was struck early Tuesday.

Economy

Why Isn't The Housing Market Booming The Way Experts Expected?

8:19am July 04, 2017

by Chris Arnold

Interest rates are near historic lows and consumer confidence is high, but the market isn't booming. One reason may be mobility: people moving from state to state is half what it was two decades ago.

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Economy

For Job Retraining Programs To Work, People Need To Show Up

6:44am July 04, 2017

by Ben Bergman

Retraining workers who've lost jobs is tough. If the program isn't good, workers may get trained for jobs that no longer exist. And even when the training is good, it's hard to get people to show up.

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In Russia's Tech Center, Scientists Face Rewarding But Unpredictable Life

7:12pm July 03, 2017

by Lucian Kim

Research institutes in Novosibirsk were built as innovation centers in the USSR. Despite the brain drain, scientists and techies remain, but life for successful entrepreneurs can be unpredictable.

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Economy

Why Weak Productivity Growth Matters To The Economy

8:42am July 03, 2017

Steve Inskeep talks to David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center at the Brookings Institution, about productivity. Productivity growth is a reason living standards go up. Lately, it's been weak.

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New Jersey Starts Holiday Weekend With A Government Shutdown

8:42am July 03, 2017

by Joe Hernandez

Eleven states failed to pass a new fiscal year budget by last Friday's deadline. In New Jersey, that led to a government shutdown. The legislature will meet on Monday to try to work out a compromise.

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A Look At The Ongoing Upheaval In Venezuela

8:01pm July 02, 2017

by Michel Martin

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Javier Corrales, a professor at Amherst College who studies Latin American democracies, about Venezuela's economic and political crises.

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Los Angeles Moves Closer To Legalizing Sidewalk Food Vendors

8:08am July 02, 2017

by Parker Yesko

A campaign to legalize street vending is gaining strength from local resistance to President Trump's immigration policies — and fears that infractions could lead to deportation.