ECONOMY

Ecuador's Oil Bust Draws Parallels To 1990s Financial Crisis

4:37pm November 25, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

Ecuador's economy is faltering thanks to a year of record low oil prices and fears of a "godzilla" El Niño forming in the Pacific Ocean. The situation is drawing bizarre parallels to the last major financial crisis to hit the small South American country in the late 1990s.

Plunging Oil Prices Force Producers To Lay Off Skilled Workers

4:15pm November 25, 2015

by Andrew Schneider

Gasoline prices have been plunging this fall, which is great for consumers. But it has been very hard on oil producers, who have been laying off legions of skilled workers. To hang on to their key employees, some companies are offering unpaid sabbaticals or trimming pay across the board to reduce labor costs without layoffs. But for many employers, times are so hard that they have no choice but to keep cutting employee ranks.

Local Charities Capitalize On Holiday Rush With Day Of Giving

6:56pm November 24, 2015

by Ben Allen

There's Black Friday and Cyber Monday and, in some places, a single day dedicated to getting people to give to local nonprofits. In Lancaster County, Penn., they call it the Extraordinary Give — 24 hours of events designed to entice donations to arts groups, charities and other nonprofits.

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Pharmaceutical Companies Pfizer, Allergan To Merge In $160 Billion Deal

7:17pm November 23, 2015

by John Ydstie

U.S. drug giant Pfizer and its rival Allergan have agreed to merge in order to lower its corporate taxes, creating the world's largest pharmaceutical company by sales.

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French police patrol near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday. France is the most-visited country in the world, but the number of tourists has dropped off since the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people.

The Scene In Paris: Fewer Tourists, More Armed Guards

6:58pm November 23, 2015

by Lauren Frayer

France is the world's most-visited country, but thousands of tourists have canceled trips since the Paris attacks. Big conventions have been postponed. Music acts like U2 have canceled concerts.

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Economy

U.S. Drug Giant Pfizer To Buy Ireland-Based Allergan

11:02am November 23, 2015

In one of the biggest health care mergers ever, Pfizer says it has clinched a deal to buy Allergan for over $150 billion. Pfizer says it plans to move its headquarters to Dublin to avoid U.S. taxes.

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People do their holiday shopping in Manhattan Mall in New York City in November 2014. Retailers may have a harder time filling holiday jobs this year because of a shrinking pool of workers.

This Holiday Season, Retailers Will Be Wishing For More Workers

10:02am November 23, 2015

by Kaomi Goetz

U.S. retailers are looking to add more than 700,000 jobs this holiday season — about the same as last year. But retailers may have a harder time filling those jobs because of a shrinking labor pool.

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Global Economic Impact Of European Security Boost

8:02am November 21, 2015

Following the attacks in Paris, NPR's Scott Simon speaks with JP Morgan analyst David Kelly about how increased military action and border security by the European Union could affect the economy.

Ford Workers Approve Contract With UAW By Slim Margin

4:07am November 21, 2015

by The Associated Press

With a 51.4 percent vote, the last of the Big Three automakers has approved its new four-year labor contract. The deal, which covers 53,000 workers, raises wages and includes new seniority rights.

The Center for Urban Families in Baltimore (shown here on Nov. 11) is a nonprofit that provides job training, parenting programs and other help for low-income families.

Some States Are Cutting Poor Dads A Deal On Unpaid Child Support

9:28am November 20, 2015

by Jennifer Ludden

In exchange for completing job training and parenting programs, Maryland is writing off some of parents' back child support. Similar efforts across the country are addressing the staggering debt.

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