ECONOMY

Women who say they have not been fed for five days line up for food in Aug. 2016 at the Bakassi camp in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Oxfam: Combined Wealth Of 5 Richest Nigerians Could Lift Country Out Of Poverty

5:13pm May 18, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

Oxfam calls the level of inequality in the country "obscene." The disparity is only growing, the charity says, in light of what it describes as the misallocation of the country's resources.

Amid Low Inventory, U.S. Homes Sell At Fastest Pace In A Decade

4:48pm May 18, 2017

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Chris Herbert, managing director at Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, about recent trends in the housing market.

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Amid Panic Over Worthless Cash, Some In India See Opportunity

4:48pm May 18, 2017

by Stacey Vanek Smith

When the prime minister of India declared most of the cash in the country worthless, most people and businesses in the country panicked. But some saw opportunity.

Illustration of hands giving money to the world.

Should America Keep Giving Billions Of Dollars To Countries In Need?

4:36pm May 18, 2017

by Malaka Gharib

The matter of foreign aid has taken on renewed urgency in the Trump administration. And it turns out it isn't easy to figure out whether it's effective.

Trucks move along Interstate 35 in Laredo, Texas. It's a major thoroughfare for trade between Mexico and the U.S.

Trump Administration Says It Will Launch NAFTA Renegotiation

2:52pm May 18, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

The U.S. trade representative formally notified congressional leaders in a letter Thursday that the president intends to begin negotiations with Canada and Mexico "as soon as practicable."

Evaluating India's Radical Experiment In Eliminating High-Value Currency

8:36am May 18, 2017

by Stacey Vanek Smith

India abolished its highest-value currency notes last November, in an effort to rein in hoarders of big bills who evade tax. Six months later, how is it working?

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The Tongass National Forest, near Ketchikan, Alaska. The spruce, hemlock and cedar trees of the Tongass have been a source of timber for the logging industry.

Leaving Timber Behind, An Alaska Town Turns To Tourism

4:37pm May 17, 2017

by Melissa Block

Timber used to be the economic engine of Ketchikan, Alaska, but after the pulp mill there closed in the '90s, the town turned to tourism.

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Puerto Rico Begins Hearings To Restructure Billions Of Dollars In Debt

4:37pm May 17, 2017

by Greg Allen

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, a federal judge Wednesday held a hearing to begin restructuring the U.S. territory's $74 billion public debt. It's a process akin to bankruptcy, in which bondholders, public employees and retirees owed pensions are all fighting for what's owed to them.

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Dow Jones Drops By 300 Points As Trump Remains Embroiled In Controversy

4:37pm May 17, 2017

by Yuki Noguchi

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down about 300 points Wednesday as questions mounted about President Trump's ability to get his agenda through Congress.

A mural displays notable historical figures and a fading Puerto Rican flag on a dilapidated building in San Juan earlier this month. Between its public-sector debt and money owed pension funds, the U.S. territory is grappling with more than $120 billion i

Puerto Rico Embarks On Historically Huge Debt Protection Hearings

2:31pm May 17, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Between its public-sector debt and what it owes pension funds, the U.S. territory's bills exceed $120 billion. That makes for some difficult decisions in court, which opened hearings Wednesday.