Rout Continues In Junk Bond Market After 2 Funds Are Liquidated
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.
Economy
For Millennials, Rising Interest Rates Sound Like Olden Tales
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
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.
Newell Rubbermaid Buys Jarden, Uniting Two Big Consumer Brands
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.
Shell Plans To Cut 2,800 Jobs After It Takes Over BG Group
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.
How The Federal Reserve Plans To Make $3 Trillion Disappear
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
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.
Post-Bankruptcy, A Booming Detroit Is Still Fragile
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
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.
What Can Government Do To Protect The Shrinking Middle Class?
Politicians love to present themselves as champions of the middle class. But according to a new study from the Pew Research Center, less than half the American population now falls in that category. NPR explores what the government might do to shore up the shrinking middle class.