How did we end up with health insurance being tied to our jobs?

Jun 28, 2017
It started with a national wage cap during WWII.
Three Lions/Getty Images

Blue Apron’s price cut shows investors are wary of high-growth with no profit

Jun 28, 2017
The window is closing on Blue Apron’s IPO. The do-it-yourself meal-kit delivery service is going public tomorrow. Today they cut the initial price target for their shares by about a third. That puts the company’s valuation below the estimated $2.2 billion valuation in their last round of private venture capital funding. There are no inside […]

Foreign earnings bolster Monsanto results

Jun 28, 2017
Monsanto’s earning reports beat expectations today. The agricultural giant has enjoyed solid growth over the first half of the year, with operating earnings up more than 50 percent year on year. The company’s planned acquisition by German agricultural giant Bayer is also on investors’ minds.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Auto rental companies seeking a driverless lift from tech firms

Jun 27, 2017
The rise of ride-sharing apps has been tough for old-school rental car agencies. Who wants to pay for a car and parking when a couple of rides might be cheaper? But this week some rental car companies are getting a boost from partnerships with tech firms. Google’s Waymo announced a deal with Avis Budget Group […]

Massive ransomware attack in Europe all but promises more to come

Jun 27, 2017
Dozens of databases are hit in the cyber attack. The thing they all have in common? Vulnerable networks.
DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images

Happy Birthday, ATMs!

Jun 27, 2017
The first automatic teller was installed outside London 50 years ago. Here's how it's changed us.
People gather to see a demonstration of the "robot cashier" in Enfield, England. 
Courtesy of Bernardo Batiz-Lazo

Why the US buys all its rare earth metals from China

Jun 26, 2017
The obscure minerals are much more costly to mine in America.
A rare earth refinery.
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Activist investors can drive change if they have the reputation and ideas to win over others

Jun 26, 2017
Activist investor Daniel Loeb announced over the weekend that his hedge fund, Third Point, has taken a $3.5 billion stake in the Swiss food conglomerate Nestle, and he wants some changes at the company. That may sound like a lot of money, but the investment represents just over a 1 percent stake in the company. […]

Trump calls for 'energy dominance' as US oil and gas exports keep rising

Jun 26, 2017
In yet another branded White House initiative, it’s Energy Week. President Trump will be focused on American “energy dominance,” and touting the boom in U.S. fossil fuels and plans to support and increase energy exports. A ban on exporting U.S. oil and gas was lifted under the Obama administration. Energy companies may appreciate less oversight and more […]

Globalization: political rhetoric vs. on-the-ground reality

Jun 26, 2017
South Carolina’s political elite turned out today to celebrate an expansion of BMW’s facility in the Palmetto State. It’s now BMW’s largest in the world. At the event, Sen. Lindsey Graham had this to say on Twitter: “to those who fear globalization, embrace it b/c it’s not going away…if you want to see the good […]