The Fed's Other Big Power
We think of the power of the Federal Reserve as the power of money. After all, the Fed is the one institution that can create U.S. dollars out of thin air.But recently, Ben Bernanke has argued that the...
View ArticleWhy New York Is A Hub In The Global Trinket Trade
For more on the junk economy, see this slideshow.There's a neighborhood in New York City that has always been a mystery to us. Smack dab in the middle of Manhattan, around 29th street, is the wholesale...
View ArticleA Tax Plan That Economists Love (And Politicians Hate)
Watching a presidential campaign, it's easy to think that the nation is deeply divided over how to fix the economy. But when you talk to economists, it turns out they agree on an enormous number of...
View ArticleThe Candidate Is Fake; The Consultants Are Real
When our series began yesterday, we brought together five economists from across the political spectrum and had them create a platform for their dream presidential candidate. It's a platform — Get rid...
View ArticleWill A $1.9 Billion Settlement Be Enough To Change Banks' Behavior?
If a kid does something bad and you want to discipline him — give him a timeout, say, or take away a toy — there are some basic principles that seem to work.
View ArticleA Union Vote For Chinese Workers Who Asemble iPhones
The Chinese workers who assemble iPhones, iPads and tons of other electronic devices may soon be able to elect their own union representatives, the FT reports.Labor unions technically do exist in...
View ArticleShould The U.S. Import More Doctors?
People around the world want the same thing from their doctors. First, do no harm. Second, take a look at this weird bump and tell me if I should get worried.The job is basically the same in many...
View ArticleInside An Amish Trade Show
The Buckeye Tool Expo in Dalton, Ohio, is held in a massive hall filled with bearded men in black hats and women in white bonnets. A few horses and buggies are tied up outside.The Amish have chosen to...
View ArticleThe Trick To Selling Fancy Wine From New Jersey: Don't Say It's From New Jersey
Halfway between the New Jersey Turnpike and the Atlantic City casinos is a little slice of France: Amalthea Cellars. There's an old farmhouse, and a field full of grapevines.Lou Caracciolo, who founded...
View ArticleWhy (Almost) No One In Myanmar Wanted My Money
When you arrive in Myanmar, you can see how eager they are to do business. At the airport in Yangon, new signs in English welcome tourists. A guy in a booth offers to rent me a local cell phone — and...
View ArticleCan This Man Bring Silicon Valley To Yangon?
Like a proud father, Nay Aung opens up his MacBook Air to show me the Myanmar travel website he has built. But we wait 30 seconds for the site to load, and nothing happens."Today is a particularly bad...
View ArticleHow To Sell Coke To People Who Have Never Had A Sip
For years, there were only three countries in the world that didn't officially sell Coca-Cola: Cuba, North Korea and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.Now, after 60 years, Coke is back in Myanmar....
View ArticleA Locked Door, A Secret Meeting And The Birth Of The Fed
In 1907, the U.S. economy was in the grip of a financial crisis. Unemployment was up. The stock market was down.People started panicking. They were lining up overnight to pull their money out of...
View ArticleFor A Better Bobsled, Team USA Turns To Race Cars
When you meet bobsled driver Steve Holcomb, he doesn't talk about his Olympic gold medal — the one he won with the four-man team at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Instead, he talks about the one that...
View ArticleAerial Skiing Is A Game Of Skill — And Strategy
During the Winter Olympics, seeing an aerial skier perform is unforgettable.It's like gymnastics in the air. And, like gymnasts, aerial skiers get points for doing a harder routine and for sticking the...
View ArticleTrains May Be Slow In Sochi, But The Snowboarders Are Flying High
Transcript MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: And I'm Audie Cornish.Enough talk about whether or not Russia is ready to host the...
View ArticleGlory And Glitches At Sochi Opening Ceremonies
The 2014 Winter Olympics officially opened Friday with a ceremony celebrating Russian culture and introducing Olympic athletes from around the world. NPR's Robert Smith was at the ceremony in Sochi and...
View ArticleShaun White Misses The Medal Stand As iPod Gets The Gold
Transcript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Now to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, where American snowboarder Shaun White attempted a three-peat today. He was trying to be the first three-time gold medal winner in...
View ArticleIn Front Of A Home Crowd, Russia Has Hockey History On Its Mind
There is a weird contradiction in Olympic hockey: On one hand, these professional players from the NHL arrive in a small town like movie stars.They show up a week late, trailed by TV cameras and...
View ArticleBetween U.S. And Russian Hockey, A Different Kind Of Cold War
Transcript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.For a lot of Russians, the true start of the Olympics was today. Team Russia took the ice in men's hockey. At the very same...
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