ECONOMY

Book Explores Downfall Of An Indian-American Business Icon

8:10am June 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

Rajat Gupta was one of the wealthiest and most successful men in America. Why would he throw that away on an insider-trading scheme? A new book from financial journalist Anita Raghavan tries to uncover the motivations of a man who lost everything in the Galleon Group scandal.

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Mired In Recession, EU Eases Some Austerity Measures

3:39pm June 03, 2013

by John Ydstie

This week, the European Union gave some of its member nations more time to meet deficit-reduction targets — in other words, to ease back on austerity. The programs have crushed growth and sent European unemployment to a record high 12 percent.

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Economy

Checking In On The Economy, The Good And Sluggish

2:38pm June 03, 2013

The U.S. economy started showing signs of recovery in June 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Four years later, the economy is slow to recover in some areas. The stock market and housing are showing signs of growth, while unemployment still lags behind.

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Latest Economic Forecast: A Whole Lot Of 'Meh'

9:23pm May 31, 2013

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released monthly data on the personal finances of Americans Friday. It shows Americans' income, spending and savings pretty much unchanged from last month. Planet Money's Adam Davidson explains to Melissa Block what this tells us about the state of the economy.

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President Obama, with Education Secretary Arne Duncan at his side, calls on Congress on June 21, 2012, to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling. He is going to make that appeal again Friday.

Obama Presses Congress On Student Loan Rates

11:25am May 31, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Interest rates on government-backed college loans are set to double July 1 — unless Congress agrees on a fix before then. The president is expected to urge Congress on Friday to block that increase.

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White House Economic Adviser To Leave

10:19am May 30, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Alan Krueger, the chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, says he will step down to return to Princeton to resume his post as a professor of economics. Krueger, who has served as CEA chairman for the past two years, will return to Princeton in time for the beginning of the fall term.

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By leasing land for drilling, city leaders in Youngstown, Ohio, hope to generate funds to demolish vacant buildings.

What's Under Youngstown May Help What's On Top

7:18pm May 29, 2013

City leaders in Youngstown, Ohio, are hoping that by leasing land to drilling companies, they might generate funds to demolish vacant homes and buildings. Some refer to this as "frackmolishing," and opponents worry the drilling will cause environmental damage.

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The Business And Science Of Storm Shelters

2:09pm May 28, 2013

There are no definitive numbers on how many people were saved by storm shelters in the deadly tornado in Moore, Okla. There's little doubt that those who sought cover in previously-installed underground shelters and safe rooms were protected. Still, most people in high-risk areas don't have them.

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Garment Industry Follows Threads Of Immigration Overhaul

9:31am May 28, 2013

by Sonari Glinton

One industry official says a path to citizenship would improve conditions in the industry, which relies heavily on immigrant labor.

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Hostess Twinkies are offered for sale in Chicago, part of the last shipment of Hostess products the company made in 2012.

Twinkies' Return Is Mostly Sweet News For Kansas Town

5:17am May 27, 2013

by Frank Morris

Emporia, Kan., was hit pretty hard when the Hostess snack cake plant shut down last year. The company that bought Hostess' business is going to fire its ovens back up, but there will be half as many jobs and they will be nonunion. Still, the news sparked an ecstatic response in this beleaguered town.

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