Marketplace Morning Report

(U.S. Edition) The Chinese economy is on its slowest growth spurt since 2009. This is happening in the context of the ongoing trade feud with the United States, and Marketplace's Jennifer Pak checked in to tell us more. Meanwhile, Facebook is the target of a lawsuit, with advertisers accusing the social media giant of misrepresenting the amount of time users spent watching videos. Those numbers led to news organizations into believing video was where ad money could be found and altering their business models as a result. Then we turn to the opioid crisis and painkillers. With a quarter of pain patients misusing their prescribed pain meds, a Nashville startup has become a sort of watchdog for health care insurers, which pay out an extra $10,000 to $20,000 when someone is abusing painkillers. Today's show is sponsored by GAIN Capital Group (gaincapital.com) and PayPal (paypal.com). (10/19/2018)

(Markets Edition) The Federal Reserve looks poised to raise interest rates yet again in December. Also on Thursday, nearly 60 million people worldwide are participating in the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. Earthquakes are a way of life for many Californians, so the ShakeOut could spark homeowners’ interest in earthquake coverage. Then we learn about the WTO’s appellate body, which functions as a sort of Supreme Court for trade. The body is shrinking as judges’ terms expire and the Trump administration blocks the appointment and re-appointment of judges to it. If it loses one more member, it will cease to function. Today's show is sponsored by GAIN Capital Group (gaincapital.com), PayPal (paypal.com) and Selligent (selligent.com). (10/18/2018)

(U.S. Edition) What does it take to be called a currency manipulator? Two years after President Trump decreed that the Treasury department would label China as one, and it has yet to happen. We look into how that designation gets handled. According to a new report, nearly 10 million Americans utilize short-term installment loans when in need of some quick cash. However, how much they pay in interest and finance charges depends on how their state regulates lenders. We then discuss more results from the Marketplace-Edison Research Poll, which shows that a majority of people think massive tech companies like Apple, Amazon or Google have more power over the economy than the president, Congress or workers.  Molly Wood of Marketplace Tech has more. Today's show is sponsored by GAIN Capital Group (gaincapital.com), PayPal (paypal.com) and Selligent (selligent.com). (10/18/2018)

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Swiss drugmaker Novartis is getting deeper into cancer treatment with a $2.1 billion buy of an American firm. Then, Ethiopia’s prime minister this week appointed women to half of its cabinet, saying the decision was because females are "less corrupt" than men. But how much does gender really have to do with corruption? Afterwards, the international panel on climate change has warned we have just 12 years to limit our emissions or the environment will tip into disaster. We hear from one man who, after putting solar panels on his house 15 years ago, has made big changes to how his family thinks about energy consumption. Today's show is sponsored by GAIN Capital Group (gaincapital.com), PayPal (paypal.com) and Selligent (selligent.com). (10/18/2018)

(U.S. Edition) When asked about the biggest threat to his presidency Tuesday night, President Trump pointed to the Federal Reserve in his answer. Marketplace's Nancy Marshall-Genzer has more. After the numbers, we discuss the World Bank's annual report on global poverty, which was released Wednesday. The number of people living below the international poverty line has dropped, but extreme poverty could still get worse. Economic worries are a part of everyday life, as we've been finding in the Marketplace-Edison Research Poll. Larry Rosin, president of Edison Research, walked us through some of the poll's discoveries. Today's show is sponsored by Alliance for Lifetime Income (retireyourrisk.org), Gobble (gobble.com) and Michigan Economic Development Corporation (planetm.com). (10/17/2018)

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … An EU summit Wednesday was supposed to focus on a final agreement on the U.K.’s divorce from the bloc. But there are still a number of sticking points hampering a final deal. We’ll explain what a no-deal Brexit could mean for traveling in and around the European Union, and what’s holding up the negotiation process.  Then, Canada on Wednesday became the first G20 country to legalize cannabis for medical and recreational use. We’ll take you to a school teaching students how to grow the plants fueling Toronto’s booming industry. Today's show is sponsored by Alliance for Lifetime Income (retireyourrisk.org), Gobble (gobble.com) and Michigan Economic Development Corporation (planetm.com). (10/17/2018)

(Markets Edition) The Republican tax cuts look like they're making a significant impact on paper, with the non-partisan Tax Policy Center estimating that 80 percent of Americans will be getting a tax cut and companies' quarterly earnings statements reflecting them. But, the latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll shows that plenty of people aren't feeling the impact. We'll also talk more about "systematically important financial institutions," places that were deemed integral to the economy following the financial crisis, and talk about the markets with Susan Schmidt at Aviva Investors. Then, we discuss new rules in India that require all payment data for purchases in the country to be stored in India alone. Today's show is sponsored by Alliance for Lifetime Income (retireyourrisk.org), Gobble (gobble.com) and Michigan Economic Development Corporation (planetm.com). (10/17/2018)

(U.S. Edition) The federal deficit has risen to $779 billion, which is the biggest it has been since 2012. But as we look a little deeper, the deficit isn't just big, it's also historically strange. Starting on Wednesday, Canadians will be able to legally buy cannabis for recreational use both online and in standalone stores. The Canadian government is hoping that the market in place freezes out criminal competitors. Then, we discuss The Rock. No, not that Rock. We mean Gibraltar – a self governing British territory that was captured from Spain centuries ago. Spain has been fighting to get it back since. And now, Brexit is a factor. Today's show is sponsored by GAIN Capital Group (gaincapital.com) and PayPal (paypal.com). (10/16/2018)

(Markets Edition) We're taking a snapshot of the economics of the midterm elections, since Monday was the deadline for campaigns sharing their fundraising and spending numbers from the past three months. Nancy Marshall-Genzer has been following the money and tells us more. Then we take the conversation to foreign affairs and ask the question: In the face of an international crisis, would the U.S. be able to count on help from its allies? We spoke to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who served under President Obama and co-wrote a piece discussing the use – or misuse – of the considerable economic power of the United States. Today's show is sponsored by GAIN Capital Group (gaincapital.com) and PayPal (paypal.com). (10/16/2018)

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … We’ll catch you up on the latest Brexit talks ahead of a series of negotiations this week. Then, after Kraft’s hostile takeover of Cadbury in 2010, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May vowed to protect British companies from predatory foreign buyers. Proposed new rules could do just that, but will they make it too easy to deny potential mergers on national security grounds? Then, the CDC has deemed insufficient sleep a “public health problem,” but new research illustrates just how much a bad night’s sleep can impact the global economy: In the U.S. – the world’s worst offender – too many nights of bad sleep adds up to more than $400 billion a year in economic losses. Today's show is sponsored by GAIN Capital Group (gaincapital.com) and PayPal (paypal.com). (10/16/2018)