Economy http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1017&ft=1&f=1017 NPR news on the U.S. and world economy, the World Bank, and Federal Reserve. Commentary on economic trends. Subscribe to NPR Economy podcasts and RSS feeds. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:32:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Economy http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1017&ft=1&f=1017 Fed Warns Stimulus Package Will Be Ratcheted Down Investors have been nervous about the Federal Reserve's intentions after hints that it might reduce its massive bond buying program. Amid volatile markets, traders and investors complained they wanted more clarity. Chairman Ben Bernanke obliged on Wednesday after a regular two-day meeting of Fed policymakers. Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:32:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/20/193724891/fed-warns-stimulus-package-will-be-ratcheted-down?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/20/193724891/fed-warns-stimulus-package-will-be-ratcheted-down?ft=1&f=1017 Investors have been nervous about the Federal Reserve's intentions after hints that it might reduce its massive bond buying program. Amid volatile markets, traders and investors complained they wanted more clarity. Chairman Ben Bernanke obliged on Wednesday after a regular two-day meeting of Fed policymakers.

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]]> If Supplies Of Oil Are Up, Why Is Gas Still Pricey? Supplies of oil have been surging this year, and U.S. drivers, who have been switching to more fuel-efficient cars, are using less gasoline.That would seem to be the right economic combination to push down prices at the pump, but gasoline prices have remained stubbornly high this summer. Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:02:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/20/193612572/if-supplies-of-oil-are-up-why-is-gas-still-pricey?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/20/193612572/if-supplies-of-oil-are-up-why-is-gas-still-pricey?ft=1&f=1017 Supplies of oil have been surging this year, and U.S. drivers, who have been switching to more fuel-efficient cars, are using less gasoline.That would seem to be the right economic combination to push down prices at the pump, but gasoline prices have remained stubbornly high this summer.

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]]> Can This Dominican Factory Pay Good Wages And Make A Profit? Textile workers in some poor countries like Bangladesh can make less than $100 a month. One factory in the Dominican Republic is trying something different: It's paying workers $500 a month. The company has yet to break even after three years, but the CEO says the business is growing rapidly and he believes it will be profitable. Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:58:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/06/20/193491766/can-this-dominican-factory-pay-good-wages-and-make-a-profit?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/06/20/193491766/can-this-dominican-factory-pay-good-wages-and-make-a-profit?ft=1&f=1017 Textile workers in some poor countries like Bangladesh can make less than $100 a month. One factory in the Dominican Republic is trying something different: It's paying workers $500 a month. The company has yet to break even after three years, but the CEO says the business is growing rapidly and he believes it will be profitable.

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]]> In More Cities, A Camera On Every Corner, Park And Sidewalk A growing number of cities are using surveillance cameras in the hope of fighting crime, but all that video is almost useless without powerful search tools to sort the material. The municipal camera trend is proving to be big business for companies that design video analytics software. Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:57:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/06/20/191603369/The-Business-Of-Surveillance-Cameras?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/06/20/191603369/The-Business-Of-Surveillance-Cameras?ft=1&f=1017 A growing number of cities are using surveillance cameras in the hope of fighting crime, but all that video is almost useless without powerful search tools to sort the material. The municipal camera trend is proving to be big business for companies that design video analytics software.

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]]> G-8 Nations Pledge To Crack Down On Corporate Tax Evaders This week's meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized countries concluded with a pledge to end the use of tax shelters by multinational corporations. But there are still big questions about how they will make a dent in the problem. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:36:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/193549984/g-8-nations-pledge-to-crack-down-on-corporate-tax-evaders?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/193549984/g-8-nations-pledge-to-crack-down-on-corporate-tax-evaders?ft=1&f=1017 This week's meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized countries concluded with a pledge to end the use of tax shelters by multinational corporations. But there are still big questions about how they will make a dent in the problem.

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]]> Federal Reserve To Continue Bond-Buying Program Federal Reserve policymakers say the economy is doing slightly better than it was last fall, but the Fed's $85 billion per month stimulus program will continue for the time being. Speaking at news conference in Washington, D.C., Chairman Ben Bernanke indicated the Fed might begin tapering the stimulus program later this year. The Fed repeated earlier statements that it would hold short-term interest rates near zero until the jobless rate reaches 6.5 percent as long as inflation remains in check. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=193576466&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=193576466&ft=1&f=1017 Federal Reserve policymakers say the economy is doing slightly better than it was last fall, but the Fed's $85 billion per month stimulus program will continue for the time being. Speaking at news conference in Washington, D.C., Chairman Ben Bernanke indicated the Fed might begin tapering the stimulus program later this year. The Fed repeated earlier statements that it would hold short-term interest rates near zero until the jobless rate reaches 6.5 percent as long as inflation remains in check.

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]]> Fed Leaves Interest Rates And Bond Purchase Plan Untouched The Federal Reserve will continue its program of purchasing $85 billion in securities and will leave the target interest rate for federal funds untouched to support the U.S. economy, the U.S. central bank said in a policy update issued Wednesday afternoon. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:29:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/19/193536940/fed-leaves-interest-rates-and-bond-purchase-plan-untouched?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/19/193536940/fed-leaves-interest-rates-and-bond-purchase-plan-untouched?ft=1&f=1017 The Federal Reserve will continue its program of purchasing $85 billion in securities and will leave the target interest rate for federal funds untouched to support the U.S. economy, the U.S. central bank said in a policy update issued Wednesday afternoon.

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]]> Will Work For Free? The Future Of The Unpaid Internship A New York Federal District Court judge ruled that Fox Searchlight Pictures broke the law by not paying two interns for work on the film <em>Black Swan</em>. As a result, private employers may be considering revising their internship programs, or scrapping them altogether. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/193526906/will-work-for-free-the-future-of-the-unpaid-internship?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/193526906/will-work-for-free-the-future-of-the-unpaid-internship?ft=1&f=1017 A New York Federal District Court judge ruled that Fox Searchlight Pictures broke the law by not paying two interns for work on the film Black Swan. As a result, private employers may be considering revising their internship programs, or scrapping them altogether.

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]]> Survey: African Americans Fearful Of U.S. Economy And now another chapter in our series on African-American lives. NPR conducted a poll of African Americans with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. The survey found optimism but many respondents expressed fears about the economy. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/193383916/survey-african-americans-fearful-of-u-s-economy?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/193383916/survey-african-americans-fearful-of-u-s-economy?ft=1&f=1017 And now another chapter in our series on African-American lives. NPR conducted a poll of African Americans with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health. The survey found optimism but many respondents expressed fears about the economy.

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]]> U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady Profits for the nation's carmakers are on the rise, but after years of doing more with less, higher profits are unlikely to translate into significant numbers of new jobs. There are eight fewer plants and hundreds of thousands fewer workers in the industry than before the Great Recession. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:21:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/191386225/u-s-automakers-are-on-a-roll-but-hiring-is-slow-and-steady?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/191386225/u-s-automakers-are-on-a-roll-but-hiring-is-slow-and-steady?ft=1&f=1017 Profits for the nation's carmakers are on the rise, but after years of doing more with less, higher profits are unlikely to translate into significant numbers of new jobs. There are eight fewer plants and hundreds of thousands fewer workers in the industry than before the Great Recession.

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]]> The Art Of Investing: The Rewards Aren't Always Financial The Internet makes collecting and even investing in art much more accessible to ordinary people. As part of his adventures in investing, NPR's Uri Berliner pays $450 for an abstract flower study he's only seen online. Is it an investment or a painting he's just happy to have hang on his wall? Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:17:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/191675947/the-art-of-investing-the-rewards-arent-always-financial?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/19/191675947/the-art-of-investing-the-rewards-arent-always-financial?ft=1&f=1017 The Internet makes collecting and even investing in art much more accessible to ordinary people. As part of his adventures in investing, NPR's Uri Berliner pays $450 for an abstract flower study he's only seen online. Is it an investment or a painting he's just happy to have hang on his wall?

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]]> Amazon Cuts Ties In Minnesota Ahead Of New Sales Tax Amazon ends the contracts of people and businesses that are paid for sending customers to the retailer. The company has taken similar steps in other states that have passed laws like Minnesota's new sales tax legislation. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:47:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/18/193244080/amazon-cuts-ties-in-minnesota-ahead-of-new-sales-tax?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/18/193244080/amazon-cuts-ties-in-minnesota-ahead-of-new-sales-tax?ft=1&f=1017 Amazon ends the contracts of people and businesses that are paid for sending customers to the retailer. The company has taken similar steps in other states that have passed laws like Minnesota's new sales tax legislation.

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]]> Fixing Credit Report Errors: More Hassle That It's Worth? One in five consumers has an error on their credit report, according to the Federal Trade Commission. How can you keep from being one of them? Host Michel Martin speaks with Louis Barajas, personal finance expert, about the steps you can take to make sure your credit report is on the up and up. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/18/193104700/fixing-credit-report-errors-more-hassle-that-its-worth?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/2013/06/18/193104700/fixing-credit-report-errors-more-hassle-that-its-worth?ft=1&f=1017 One in five consumers has an error on their credit report, according to the Federal Trade Commission. How can you keep from being one of them? Host Michel Martin speaks with Louis Barajas, personal finance expert, about the steps you can take to make sure your credit report is on the up and up.

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]]> Dirty Spuds? Alleged Potato Cartel Accused Of Price Fixing A civil lawsuit that shifted into U.S. district court in Idaho last week alleges that the United Potato Growers of America has become a veritable OPEC of spuds. The group is accused of using high-tech, strong-arm tactics to inflate potato prices. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:02:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/06/17/192806135/dirty-spuds-alleged-potato-cartel-accused-of-drone-spying-price-fixing?ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/06/17/192806135/dirty-spuds-alleged-potato-cartel-accused-of-drone-spying-price-fixing?ft=1&f=1017 A civil lawsuit that shifted into U.S. district court in Idaho last week alleges that the United Potato Growers of America has become a veritable OPEC of spuds. The group is accused of using high-tech, strong-arm tactics to inflate potato prices.

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]]> G-8 Summit To Tackle Trade, Syria, Slow Economic Growth President Obama celebrated the unlikely peace process in Northern Ireland on Monday, before attending a G-8 summit where much of the talk is about war in Syria. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=192790965&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=192790965&ft=1&f=1017 President Obama celebrated the unlikely peace process in Northern Ireland on Monday, before attending a G-8 summit where much of the talk is about war in Syria.

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