NPR Topics: 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. Copyright 2009 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.93 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0500 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Economy http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1017&ft=1&f=1017 Small Business Stays 'Attached' To Laid-Off Workers A Charlotte, N.C., construction firm is among an increasing number of small companies trying a strategy that makes the firing process a bit gentler. It's called "attached unemployment," a kind of temporary layoff aimed at softening the blow of job cuts. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120618600&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120618600&ft=1&f=1017 A Charlotte, N.C., construction firm is among an increasing number of small companies trying a strategy that makes the firing process a bit gentler. It's called "attached unemployment," a kind of temporary layoff aimed at softening the blow of job cuts.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Is Tax Deduction For Home Mortgages A Bad Idea? The tax deduction for mortgage interest is a cherished benefit for millions of Americans, but most economists think it's a bad idea. One of those economists, Dennis Ventry of the University of California-Davis, talks to host Guy Raz about the history of the deduction, and why the odds of changing it are so long. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:10:40 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120668836&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120668836&ft=1&f=1017 The tax deduction for mortgage interest is a cherished benefit for millions of Americans, but most economists think it's a bad idea. One of those economists, Dennis Ventry of the University of California-Davis, talks to host Guy Raz about the history of the deduction, and why the odds of changing it are so long.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Gigantic Cruise Ship Buoys Company's Hopes We're headed into the year's biggest travel week, and there's not much bigger than what's sitting in the port of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., right now. It's called the Oasis of the Seas, and it's the largest cruise ship ever built — five times the size of the Titanic, with a price tag of $1.5 billion. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:25:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120666381&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120666381&ft=1&f=1017 We're headed into the year's biggest travel week, and there's not much bigger than what's sitting in the port of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., right now. It's called the Oasis of the Seas, and it's the largest cruise ship ever built — five times the size of the Titanic, with a price tag of $1.5 billion.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> One Job The Stimulus Has Definitely Saved The Web site Recovery.gov lists the jobs the Obama administration claims to have saved or created. In one company the government certainly did helped save a jobs, but it wasn't in manufacturing or technology. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120646674&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120646674&ft=1&f=1017 The Web site Recovery.gov lists the jobs the Obama administration claims to have saved or created. In one company the government certainly did helped save a jobs, but it wasn't in manufacturing or technology.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Protests, Arrests Follow UC's 32 Percent Fee Hike Dozens of demonstrators who barricaded themselves inside a campus building at the University of California, Berkeley in a protest over fee hikes and budget cuts were removed late Friday, bringing the daylong occupation to an end, university officials said. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:45:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120645945&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120645945&ft=1&f=1017 Dozens of demonstrators who barricaded themselves inside a campus building at the University of California, Berkeley in a protest over fee hikes and budget cuts were removed late Friday, bringing the daylong occupation to an end, university officials said.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Boeing Hopes Long-Delayed Plane Takes Off In S.C. Boeing has moved to South Carolina from its ancestral home in the Pacific Northwest to build the 787 Dreamliner. The company will spend less on labor and receive more than $175 million in state incentives. But it will have to train a new workforce, which Boeing's Seattle unions predict may be the undoing of the Southern operation. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120624318&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120624318&ft=1&f=1017 Boeing has moved to South Carolina from its ancestral home in the Pacific Northwest to build the 787 Dreamliner. The company will spend less on labor and receive more than $175 million in state incentives. But it will have to train a new workforce, which Boeing's Seattle unions predict may be the undoing of the Southern operation.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Jobless In October: A State-By-State Look Jobless rates rose in 29 states and the District of Columbia in October, the Labor Department reported. Rates declined in 13 states and were unchanged in eight. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:50:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112101171&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112101171&ft=1&f=1017 Jobless rates rose in 29 states and the District of Columbia in October, the Labor Department reported. Rates declined in 13 states and were unchanged in eight.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Cash Under The Mattress Treasury yields briefing dipped into negative territory this week, reflecting investors' lingering concerns about the economy. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:50:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114408263&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114408263&ft=1&f=1017 Treasury yields briefing dipped into negative territory this week, reflecting investors' lingering concerns about the economy.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Is Ron Paul Right About The Fed? Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas Republican and lifelong critic of the Federal Reserve, scored a big win on Capitol Hill by getting a House panel to pass a bill requiring new reviews of the Fed's interest-rate decisions. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:15:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114408329&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114408329&ft=1&f=1017 Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas Republican and lifelong critic of the Federal Reserve, scored a big win on Capitol Hill by getting a House panel to pass a bill requiring new reviews of the Fed's interest-rate decisions.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Price Fight: Coke Isn't It At Costco If you're a member of Costco, the nation's largest wholesale club, you may be surprised to learn that Coca-Cola's products are no longer on the shelves. The two companies are locked in a rare public dispute over the price consumers pay for beverages. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120590548&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120590548&ft=1&f=1017 If you're a member of Costco, the nation's largest wholesale club, you may be surprised to learn that Coca-Cola's products are no longer on the shelves. The two companies are locked in a rare public dispute over the price consumers pay for beverages.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Students Protest University Of Calif. Fee Hike Thousands of University of California students converged on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles Thursday, as regents adopted a 30 percent fee hike. It's one of the latest signs of California's continuing economic crisis. UC officials say, faced with a huge deficit of their own, they have no choice but to raise the fees. Many students say they can't afford to pay more. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120602653&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120602653&ft=1&f=1017 Thousands of University of California students converged on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles Thursday, as regents adopted a 30 percent fee hike. It's one of the latest signs of California's continuing economic crisis. UC officials say, faced with a huge deficit of their own, they have no choice but to raise the fees. Many students say they can't afford to pay more.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Financial Crisis Is 'Green' For The Environment New studies are projecting that carbon dioxide emissions — greenhouse gas emissions — will decrease for the year 2009. That is thanks to the global recession. But the reprieve is small and expected to be short lived. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120602665&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120602665&ft=1&f=1017 New studies are projecting that carbon dioxide emissions — greenhouse gas emissions — will decrease for the year 2009. That is thanks to the global recession. But the reprieve is small and expected to be short lived.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Industry Hopes Auto Shows Rev Up Demand The auto show season kicks off early next month in Los Angeles, and not a moment too soon. November auto sales remain weak. Analysts say the shows are critical to generating the consumer demand that companies such as General Motors need to start making money. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120602675&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120602675&ft=1&f=1017 The auto show season kicks off early next month in Los Angeles, and not a moment too soon. November auto sales remain weak. Analysts say the shows are critical to generating the consumer demand that companies such as General Motors need to start making money.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Black Males Hit Extra Hard By Unemployment The country's spiraling unemployment rate continues to take a particular toll on men. The "he-cession," as it's sometimes called, has hit African-American men especially hard, increasing their unemployment rate to more than 17 percent last month. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120351534&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120351534&ft=1&f=1017 The country's spiraling unemployment rate continues to take a particular toll on men. The "he-cession," as it's sometimes called, has hit African-American men especially hard, increasing their unemployment rate to more than 17 percent last month.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]> Geithner: Use Leftover Bailout Money To Cut Deficit Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the government's $700 billion bailout program will end "as soon as we can," and that part of it will be used to lower the record deficit. He urged Congress to move quickly in overhauling the nation's financial rules, which he says is key to a healthy economy. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:18:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120570711&ft=1&f=1017 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120570711&ft=1&f=1017 Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the government's $700 billion bailout program will end "as soon as we can," and that part of it will be used to lower the record deficit. He urged Congress to move quickly in overhauling the nation's financial rules, which he says is key to a healthy economy.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

]]>