Marketplace All-in-One

(Markets Edition) Players of the market are working their way around the news that America sent away more than it brought in during July. The trade deficit has widened to its largest gap in five months, and there's possibly more to it than trade. The chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds told us more. Also, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Pakistan on Wednesday to meet with its new prime minister, but also to urge the country to do more to counter extremists. This comes after the U.S. denied an aid package to Pakistan. Then, we look at the Two Bit Circus, a micro-amusement park that fuses some old-school carnival fun with new-age tech. Today's show is sponsored by Avast (avast.com), Indeed (indeed.com/marketplace) and Navy Federal Credit Union (navyfederal,org/flagship). (09/05/2018)

(U.S. Edition) Canadian and U.S. officials sat down Wednesday to talk trade and perhaps find solutions to their many – many – differences with a potential NAFTA overhaul looming. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn't giving ground on some key issues. Also, with student debt piling up to $1.4 trillion, Congress is preparing to vote on a bill that requires student borrowers to get financial counseling every year. The counseling can happen online or in-person. Then, we take a look at the form the global economy has taken 10 years since the financial crisis. Today's show is sponsored by Avast (avast.com), Indeed (indeed.com/marketplace) and Navy Federal Credit Union (navyfederal,org/flagship). (09/05/2018)

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … After a meeting with the International Monetary Fund, Argentina is waiting for a decision on an advance loan of $50 billion. We hear how locals in Buenos Aires are dealing with economic hardship. Then, it’s been dubbed the scallop war – feuding French and British fisherman will hold talks in London to try and calm frayed nerves over rules governing scallop fishing in the English channel. Afterwards, tourist arrivals in Zimbabwe last year jumped 12 percent, but the country ranked just 114 out of 136 countries in an analysis by the World Bank of global tourism competitiveness. Efforts are underway to boost tourism businesses and the central bank recently introduced a $15-million dollar fund to support the industry. Today's show is sponsored by Avast (avast.com), Indeed (indeed.com/marketplace) and Navy Federal Credit Union (navyfederal,org/flagship). (09/05/2018)

Ephemeral marketing is a big trend in social media advertising. You may know it as “stories.” Snapchat started the idea with short video or picture updates that disappear after 24 hours. Instagram copied the feature successfully, and this summer announced it had 400 million daily users on Instagram Stories. Over a million brands are creating Instagram Stories, and according to numbers Facebook released back in May, agencies are investing about 8 percent of their digital marketing budgets in the form. Kate Talbot is a marketing consultant who wrote a book on using Snapchat for business in 2016. Marcus Collins is chief consumer connections officer at the Doner advertising agency. Both tell Molly Wood that branded stories are a hit with audiences, and their disappearing act increases the appeal. (09/05/18)

It's time for tech's largest platforms to own up to their bias, says Cathy O’Neil.

Neel Kashkari runs the Minneapolis Fed now, but 10 years ago he was in charge of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, also known as the bank bailout. We talked with Kashkari about how TARP architects put a pricetag on the bailout, how his life changed after the crisis and what Congress would do if another one hit. Then, why Nike chose Colin Kaepernick as the new face of Nike's "Just Do It" campaign. Plus, what you need to know about political ads on Facebook.

(Markets Edition) August was a solid month for U.S. stocks, but September has been historically rough. On Tuesday, the Dow came down 100 points. Is September to blame? Also, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau just lost its watchdog for student loans, Seth Frotman. He said the U.S. wasn't doing enough to protect the more than 40 million Americans dealing with student debt. He leaves at a time where scam artists are targeting that debt-ridden group. Then, a survey from HR/tech company Kronos finds that lots of people think they can do their day's work in five hours instead of eight. Today’s show is sponsored by Avast (avast.com), Emma (myemma.com), Indeed (indeed.com/marketplace) and Michigan Economic Development (planetm.com). (09/04/18)

(U.S. Edition) Social media companies will be participating in hearings on Wednesday to testify about foreign influence – specifically the version U.S. officials believe happened in the time leading up to the 2016 elections. Also, there's more trade news, this time with the U.S. offering Europe an offer around U.S. beef imports. There's history behind a quota meant to aid the U.S. cattle industry after European limits were found to violate trade rules. Then, the Trump administration's 25 percent tariff on imported steel has led to retaliation from several nations, but one has been relatively quiet: Japan. Today’s show is sponsored by Avast (avast.com), Emma (myemma.com), Indeed (indeed.com/marketplace) and Michigan Economic Development (planetm.com). (09/04/18)

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … As the U.S. and China continue to ratchet up their trade war, China is fostering better relations in Africa. We hear from one of Kenya’s richest men and best-known entrepreneurs about what the investment from the world’s second-largest economy has meant for business in Kenya. Then, after new austerity measures were unveiled in Argentina on Monday, the country’s finance minister heads to Washington to try and secure an early release of a multi-billion dollar loan from the IMF. We’ll explore why the meeting is so important for both sides. Afterwards, LEGO has been hurt this year by a challenging retail environment and the closure of storied Toys 'R' Us. But one expert says there’s still life for the classic block maker. Today’s show is sponsored by Avast (avast.com), Emma (myemma.com), Indeed (indeed.com/marketplace) and Michigan Economic Development (planetm.com). (09/04/18)

Facebook, Twitter and Google have been invited to Capitol Hill to testify Wednesday in hearings about possible bias on their platforms. The companies have all been pledging to do better in recent months. But their platforms have been used, in some cases, to undermine democracy, incite violence and spread hate speech, among other ills. Jane McGonigal is a game developer and researcher at the Institute for the Future. That group, partnered with others, just released an online toolkit that they call an “ethical operating system.” It includes questions and exercises to help aspiring Googles and Facebooks “not be evil.” Molly Wood spoke with McGonigal about how it could help tech companies create more ethical products. (09/04/18)

Trade talks with Canada resume Wednesday, and the stakes of a NAFTA agreement without Canada are high — trade between the two countries is worth $670 billion. But that's not in line with what the President tweeted over the weekend, which stoked a debate over Canada's inclusion in NAFTA. We're also looking ahead to this week's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing beginning Wednesday where social media executives will be in the hot seat talking about what they're doing to prevent meddling in U.S. elections. Plus, back-to-school is fully in swing, so we continue our conversation with former Education Secretary Arne Duncan on how the education policy landscape has changed. And ... a look into what your internet service provider knows about you.

(Markets Edition) British Prime Minister Theresa May is doubling down on Brexit, saying that any compromises or ideas of a new referendum on the UK’s planned exit from the EU wouldn’t be in her nation’s best interests. Also, the S&P 500 will be reclassifying Facebook and Alphabet, which is the parent company of Google. They’ll be shifting from the tech section of the index, which affects investors. Then, we look at how Labor Day weekend signifies a final political campaigning and fundraising push before the midterm elections, and how that battle is heating up in state legislatures. Today's show is sponsored by Indeed (Indeed.com/marketplace), Simple Contacts (simplecontacts.com/marketplace) and U.S. Bank (usbank.com/altitude). (09/03/2018)

(U.S. Edition) Monday might have been the Labor Day holiday for Americans, but it's business as usual in China. The Chinese president will be meeting with African leaders at a summit in Beijing while also encouraging Chinese businesses to invest no less than $10 billon on Africa in the next three years. Also, the United Farm Workers elected Teresa Romero as its first female president, and she's also the first immigrant woman to lead a national union. Then, we move to the perceived end of summer. It used to be Labor Day, but earlier starts for schools changed that. We examine how that shift affects Labor Day travel and tourism. Today's show is sponsored by Indeed (Indeed.com/marketplace), Simple Contacts (simplecontacts.com/marketplace) and U.S. Bank (usbank.com/altitude). (09/03/2018)

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … To stem its ongoing currency crisis, Argentina is set to unveil a new round of spending cuts as its finance minister heads to Washington to try and secure a deal for quicker IMF payments. Investors are closely watching any new developments, but what does it all mean for local businesspeople trying to make a living? Then, 10 years after the global financial crisis, people are still struggling with debts – but now they’re “smaller and trickier,” according to new figures from a British charity that helps those dealing with financial problems. Today's show is sponsored by Indeed (Indeed.com/marketplace), Simple Contacts (simplecontacts.com/marketplace) and U.S. Bank (usbank.com/altitude). (09/03/2018)

Labor Day is the perfect day for the last installment of our summer entertainment series. The movie "Demolition Man" is set in 2032. It portrays a utopian society with no crime or bad thoughts. Sandra Bullock plays a rookie future cop. Wesley Snipes is a supervillain on the loose. And Sylvester Stallone is the old-school violent cop brought out of cryostasis to hunt him down. Its 1993 tech predictions were solid. It had self-driving cars, video conferencing, voice-activated technology and even touch-screen tablets. Amy Webb is a futurist and professor of strategic foresight at New York University's Stern School of Business. And she also consults on future tech for movies and TV. Molly Wood asked her how well "Demolition Man" did at predicting the future. (09/03/18)