Marketplace Morning Report

Airing on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015: As retail giant Walmart reports its latest quarterly earnings, we look at possible growth areas for the company. Plus, you've heard that quote "Whiskey's for drinkin', water's for fightin"? That's been true in California for well over a century and the current drought has only intensified conflict over who should get how much water and from where in this thirsty state. As part of our series "Water: The High Price of Cheap," we look at how echoes of past water wars still reverberate today.

Airing on Wednesday Feb. 18, 2015: Today, Swiss prosecutors raided the Geneva office of the second largest bank in the world, HSBC. The allegations are described as "aggravated money laundering." More on that. Plus, we look at the situation this morning with Greece and debt relief with the possibility of global financial instability if Greece has to switch from the euro back to the drachma. Regardless of whether Greece stays in the eurozone or leaves, a key challenge will be collecting taxes, with some Greeks raising tax avoidance to a high art. And the postal delivery van, that boxy fixture of the American landscape, is going to get a makeover. The vehicles guzzle fuel and cost thousands of dollars a year per truck in maintenance. Representatives from car companies are meeting with the post office today to talk over what the next mail truck might look like. 

Airing on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015: Negotiations for a new bailout arrangement for Greece collapsed last night. After an election last month, Greece has been pushing to ease its debt burden. It's no secret that African-Americans may face bias — either conscious or unconscious — when it comes to being hired and promoted. But some worrying new research shows that bias may be exacerbated for job candidates who self-identify as 'Black' rather than 'African-American'. Plus, a lot of people, as they get closer to retirement, consider this move: not taking their social security payments when they're first eligible, instead waiting until 70 when you could get more, if fate smiles on you and you live long enough. But there are thousands of rules governing social security and to some this spells "opportunity." We talk to Laurence Kotlikoff, professor of Econ at Boston University and co-author of "Get What's Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security."

Airing on Monday, Feb. 16, 2015: It's crunch time for Greece to try and strike a deal. The Greeks want to restructure and reexamine their bailout structure, whereas Germany and others are pushing back, saying Athens must honor old commitments. The change of government in Greece, widely-supported, is hanging over those talks. Meanwhile, CostCo and American Express are breaking up their exclusive arrangement at the end of March, in which AmEx was the only credit card accepted at Costco's stores. We take a look at the value of being CostCo's exclusive credit card and why other credit card companies are likely to want to vie for the 'co-branded' relationship. Finally, we take a look at a very specific use of billboards in Missouri: Outdoor advertising used to comment on typical billboard tactics and spur conversation.

Airing on Friday, Feb. 13, 2015: President Barack Obama is in Silicon Valley today for a cybersecurity summit. It's  part of a White House effort to get more cooperation from tech companies in fighting threats to internet security, including massive data breaches. But some key tech players will be missing. More on that. Plus, BitTorrent is following Netflix and Amazon’s lead and getting into the original content business. Its first series “Children of the Machine” is aimed at its user base – 14-to-25-year-olds - which the company claims is larger that Netflix, Amazon and Hulu combined. Will this mean it’s no longer the face of the illegal download market? And South Florida will have to borrow a lot of money to build its protections against the rising Atlantic. At what point does the region’s risk from the seas start jacking up the cost of its long-term borrowing?

Airing on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015: First up, more on a new pile of money from the west for Ukraine as that cease fire is announced. And when you think of the luxury car company Mercedes Benz, how could you not think "New Jersey"? That's where its U.S. operations has been headquartered: Montvale, New Jersey. But like many a car company, Mercedes is moving South. We travel to Atlanta to look at what's fueling the trend. Plus, a developer has reached out to Detroit residents to raise money and crowd fund the development of the Old Tiger Stadium in Detroit. We're at the plate with the story.