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Fox to debut 6-second TV ads

Sep 1, 2017
Fox Sports will begin airing some six-second TV commercials during NFL games this season, a format it first tested during this month’s Teen Choice Awards. Ads that short are standard for online video content seen on YouTube or Facebook, but a change of pace for broadcast TV. Could this be more widely adopted in an […]

What does it mean when the jobs number doesn’t meet expectations?

Sep 1, 2017
You may have heard today that the August headline jobs number “was below expectations,” or about 24,000 fewer jobs were created than the consensus among leading economists predicted. But how significant is that figure? The first release of the monthly job-creation number is an estimate accurate to plus or minus 119,000, according to the Bureau […]

What's a mechanic to do when electric cars bring less work?

Aug 30, 2017
No more changing our oil. Fewer service needs could mean more competition for what's left.
Matthew Moreno works on a vehicle at a Valvoline Instant Oil Change in Los Angeles.
Jed Kim/Marketplace

Can Bruce Springsteen vanquish ticket scalpers?

Aug 29, 2017
Ticketmaster has made buying seats for the Boss's Broadway run very complicated.
Bruce Springsteen performs on stage at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 2016 in New York City.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Bob Woodruff Foundation

Amazon-Whole Foods alliance could strain the organic supply chain

Aug 25, 2017
Online retail giant Amazon is on track to close its acquisition of the natural and organics grocer Whole Foods. Whole Foods has been losing sales in recent years as competitors ramp up their organic offerings at lower prices. Now Amazon says its working to “make high-quality natural and organic food affordable for everyone.” Analysts expect […]

Startups see untapped potential in apartment buildings

Aug 25, 2017
High-rise apartment buildings are a target for the growing home-sharing economy.
Construction workers work beside new apartment buildings in downtown Los Angeles, California on April 5, 2017.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

CEO switch up at Chevron is expected

Aug 24, 2017
Chevron CEO John Watson is likely to step down soon, the Wall Street Journal reported this week. If there is a switch up at Chevron, it’s not because of losses. Chevron continues to outperform competitors in a turbulent time. A new CEO would likely keep focused on refining. Click the audio player above to hear the […]

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The NFL looks to China for a few hundred million fans

Aug 24, 2017
The NFL this week said it was partnering with Chinese tech giant Tencent — which attracts more than a billion users to its platforms, including social network WeChat — to build its base of football fans in China as U.S. audiences decline.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Ten years after the financial crisis, the feds say some banks need a break

Aug 23, 2017
The Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Comptroller of the Currency all announced yesterday that they would hold off on implementing a set of regulations on small to medium size banks, sometimes called community banks. The idea is to give these banks some breathing room while regulators come up with new, simpler […]

Walmart partners with Google to enable voice-activated shopping at home.

Aug 23, 2017
Walmart has been playing catch up online. Last year it bought the e-commerce site Jet.com. Today the company announced it was partnering with Google to add Walmart items to Google Express and allow voice-ordered purchasing of those items using Google’s virtual assistant. Is this another way to challenge Amazon’s dominance of the online market? Click […]