Marketplace Morning Report

(U.S. Edition) Regulators have been working on some massive new rules, called MiFID II, for European financial markets that'll take effect at midnight. On today's show, we'll take a look at some of the reasons for this overhaul, which include trying to improve protections for investors. Afterwards, we'll chat with Mark Cohen, head of retail studies at Columbia Business School, about the shifts happening in the retail sector and whether we're headed toward a "retail apocalypse."

(U.S. Edition) New year, new laws. In California, an additional 2 million workers will have access to expanded family leave beginning today. We'll look at how this new measure could benefit employees *and* businesses. Afterwards, we'll dive into the GOP's tax overhaul again: the bill gets rid of a deduction that you could take on donations made to secure college sports season tickets. Plus, we talk with Reva Goujon — vice president of global analysis for Stratfor Worldview — about key trends that are likely to influence world politics and markets. Keep an eye on North Korea's nuclear capabilities, the Iran nuclear deal, Italy's economy, and U.S. trade relationships.

(Markets Edition) Goldman Sachs recently announced it would take a $5 billion tax hit from the GOP overhaul, a loss that mostly comes from its move to bring home money it had stashed overseas. But analysts expected this, and under the new tax law, the money is subject to a lower tax rate than before. Karen Petrou, co-founder of Federal Financial Analytics, joined us to discuss how companies might use the money they bring back to the U.S., and what indicators we should look for to figure out if these tax cuts are actually stimulating the economy. Afterwards, we'll look at how climate change might affect the airline industry, and then discuss what the recent hurricanes mean for cruise line companies and tourism.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service … Nearly everyone makes a New Year’s resolution, but how many actually keep theirs? If one of your goals is to be a better businessperson, we’ll tell you how to navigate jargon and cut meaningless phrases from your vocabulary. Afterwards, the world is changing fast and 2018 could finally bring driverless cars to a mainstream market or even more consolidation in the retail industry. We’ll tell you what industries and regions of the world could break new ground this year.

(U.S. Edition) South Korea says it's seized a Hong Kong-registered ship suspected of supplying oil to North Korea. On today's show, we'll recap the details of the incident. Afterwards, we'll look at the state of the for-profit prison sector after President Trump rejected the Obama administration's pledge to phase out their use by federal authorities. Plus: We end our week-long series on how different five American cities and territories have been coping with natural disasters that occurred this year. Isidro Negron Irizarry, the mayor of San German, Puerto Rico, told us whether he was satisfied with the pace of recovery and how different sectors of the economy have been doing.

(Markets Edition) The GOP tax overhaul will decrease the corporate tax rate, which proponents of the bill have argued is much lower in other countries. But China recently announced foreign firms will not have to pay taxes on their earnings. We'll examine whether this move will make U.S. companies want to stay in China. Afterwards, we'll discuss the tax bill's effects on Puerto Rico — now income from patents and other intellectual property on the island will be considered foreign income. Then, we'll look at how one Dallas nonprofit is training people who are visually impaired to work with textiles.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service ... A consortium led by Japan’s Softbank has finalized an agreement to buy 17 percent of the ride-hailing company Uber. What does it mean for the beleaguered firm’s future? Afterwards, the South African city of Cape Town is currently suffering from its worst drought in 100 years. The mayor of the city has warned that if residents, tourists and businesses don't keep their water consumption down, the taps could run dry by the end of April. What are Cape Townians doing to try and save water — and how much does it cost?

(Markets Edition) With homeowners in high-tax states and counties rushing to pre-pay their 2018 property taxes, we'll take a look at which areas are actually encouraging this behavior. Afterwards, we'll talk to Diane Swonk , CEO of DS Economics in Chicago, about consumer confidence levels and how retailers have been doing this holiday season, and then we'll cap off today's show by discussing news that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is proposing to roll back some of the safety rules it created.

(U.S. Edition) People have been rushing to pre-pay property taxes in some states before the GOP's new tax bill goes into effect. But the IRS is saying not so fast. We'll chat with Roberton Williams from the Tax Policy Center about what you actually need in order to prepay your taxes. Afterwards, we'll talk with Kenneth Mapp, governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, about how the territory has been doing in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. He tells us which services are now available, and the work left to repair the power grid, schools and hospitals.

(Global Edition) From the BBC World Service ... South Korea makes up just 2 percent of the global economy – but South Koreans account for 20 percent of all bitcoin transactions. The country’s obsession with the crypto-currency has led government authorities to threaten that they might shut down bitcoin exchanges – leading to yet another price swing in an already volatile year. Then, nearly a decade on from the financial crisis, countries around the world are rebounding. But in some places the scars still run deep – nowhere more so than the Italian island of Sardinia, which has taken radical steps to insulate itself from the next crisis by returning to a 4,000 year old form of finance.