Marketplace®

Daily business news and economic stories
  • The Senate is still wrestling over key aspects of the financial overhaul bill, and one sticking point comes in the form of derivatives. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

  • Derivatives, you recall, have gotten much of the blame for the financial meltdown, but as Bob Moon reports, banks are hoping to stay in the business.

  • Michael Lewis, author of "Liar's Poker" and "The Big Short," talks with Kai Ryssdal about his hopes for financial reform on Wall Street.

  • Tess Vigeland reviews what listeners had to say about Marketplace stories on taking the long view on the markets and job creation as a fix for the unemployment problem.

  • Credit rating agencies helped along the financial crisis by evaluating investments built from shaky subprime loans and giving the go-ahead to purchase. Will the financial reform bill do anything to change their relationship with banks? Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

  • Republicans have started characterizing the financial reform bill as a bailout even though its Democratic sponsors say the whole point is to end bailouts. So which is it? Brett Neely reports.

  • For a long time, Washington Mutual used a catchy tagline in its ads, "The Power of Yes." And new investigations show it wasn't just talking the talk: widespread fraud throughout the company let it say yes to just about everybody. Alisa Roth reports.

  • The New York Times' Louise Story talks with Kai Ryssdal about a story she co-wrote involving a shadow bank that helped Lehman Brothers cover up risky investments that helped bring the company and economy to its knees.

  • The Treasury Department says TARP, the bank bailout, is going to cost $115 billion less than previously estimated. That's because many banks have repaid their TARP funds with interest. But Brett Neely reports that's not counting all the costs.

  • The Chamber of Commerce opened a new front in its $3 million campaign against financial reform legislation. It's targeting a provision that would create a consumer watchdog. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.