Marketplace®

Daily business news and economic stories
  • As Congress searches for ways to clean up the subprime mess and prevent a future one, commentator Robert Reich says the Fed already has the authority to do just that. It just needs to pay more attention.

  • The writers' union strike started this week and the television reruns have already begun. But this strike's not about labor. Commentator Robert Reich explains why entertainment is dealing with a more creative issue.

  • Congress is looking into why credit-rating agencies gave high ratings to securities backed by subprime mortgages. Commentator Robert Reich says the answer is clear.

  • Regardless of which party controls Congress, farm subsidies keep going and growing. But commentator Robert Reich says they cost too much and don't go to the farmers who need them.

  • The U.S. dollar may be down at a record low against the euro, but why does that matter if you're not traveling? Commentator Robert Reich explains a ripple effect that amounts to much more than a pricier vacation.

  • The Fed has done its bit to help out the mortgage-induced credit crunch by lowering interest rates. Commentator Robert Reich says that's great for lenders and investors, but it won't do a thing for the little guy.

  • The Fed will meet Tuesday to decide whether to cut interest rates. But commentator Robert Reich says an interest rate cut won't help curb a recession — though a tax cut could.

  • What'd you pay for that grill? As you enjoy a long weekend and Labor Day barbeques, Robert Reich suggests you think about how we as a nation traded in a unionized workforce with the bargaining clout to get higher wages for cheap goods and services.

  • There's been some talk that all the problems China is having with manufacturing can be traced to its get-rich economic system. But commentator Robert Reich says our brand of free market isn't squeaky clean either.

  • Commentator Robert Reich says the full-blown credit crisis of recent weeks is the price we're paying for letting financial entrepreneurs take over our economy, a problem that's not going away unless we level the playing field.

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