ECONOMY

What's Driving The Electric Car Trend In China?

7:02pm December 14, 2015

by Frank Langfitt

Increased electric car sales are good for a country with a big pollution problem. Until recently only a few clean cars were on the road. The sales are also a bright spot for China's economy.

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Economy

Rout Continues In Junk Bond Market After 2 Funds Are Liquidated

5:54pm December 14, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

Dozens of companies see the value of their high-yield corporate bonds fall, as investors worry they won't be able to pay back what they owe.

A computer screen displays the homepage of Twitter on April 3, 2009.

For Millennials, Rising Interest Rates Sound Like Olden Tales

4:59pm December 14, 2015

by Marilyn Geewax

The last time Fed policymakers raised rates, young Americans' lives were different. They couldn't share the news or comment via Twitter on iPhones and iPads because those things didn't exist.

Ford CEO Outlines Plans To Compete With Ride-Hailing Services

4:57pm December 14, 2015

Ford Motor Company plans to roll out a fleet of hybrid cars, and it's also developing new ride-hailing services. This is Ford's latest effort to not just sell cars, but drive people and gain entry into the ride-hailing economy dominated by Uber and Lyft. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with the Ford CEO Mark Fields about the company's move into other markets and the future of the auto industry.

Economy

Newell Rubbermaid Buys Jarden, Uniting Two Big Consumer Brands

4:26pm December 14, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

The companies are known for many familiar products, such as Graco strollers, Papermate pens, Crock-Pot cookware and Aerobed. Their $16 billion deal is the latest in a series of big mergers this year.

Economy

Shell Plans To Cut 2,800 Jobs After It Takes Over BG Group

10:39am December 14, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

Oil and natural gas prices are still low so companies are looking to save money. The 2,800 represent about 3 percent of the combined workforce.

Economy

How The Federal Reserve Plans To Make $3 Trillion Disappear

6:52am December 14, 2015

by David Kestenbaum

The Fed created the money after the financial crisis to try to help the economy, but the money could eventually create inflation or cause bubbles. (This piece initially aired on Oct. 23, 2015 on ATC.)

More Wealth In Fewer Cities: Why Inequality Divides America

9:03pm December 12, 2015

Demographer Phillip Longman says that regional inequality divides America. He tells NPR's Scott Simon which cities are doing well, which ones are falling behind, and how the U.S. got to this point.

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Detroit, after having billions of dollars of debt erased through bankruptcy, has emerged with a razor-thin financial cushion.

Economy

Post-Bankruptcy, A Booming Detroit Is Still Fragile

5:28pm December 12, 2015

by Quinn Klinefelter

It's been one year since the city of Detroit exited the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. New development is erupting downtown, but the city is still walking a financial tightrope.

Industrial Giants DuPont, Dow Chemical Announce $130 Billion Merger

7:21pm December 11, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

Two of America's oldest and most important industrial companies are tying the knot. DuPont and Dow Chemical plan to merge in a $130 billion deal that would create an agricultural and chemicals powerhouse. If the deal is approved, the new company would be split into three separate businesses — agriculture, materials and specialty products.

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