Mid-day Update

PODCAST: No more Moutai for officials in China, Affordable Care Tax?

Mark Garrison Dec 25, 2012
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Mid-day Update

PODCAST: No more Moutai for officials in China, Affordable Care Tax?

Mark Garrison Dec 25, 2012
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Most exchanges are closed today, but some were open in Asia and on the up and up today. Japan’s export economy is feeling optimistic as Prime Minister-elect Shinzo Abe takes office, and China’s consumers may be ending the year with a strong finish.

Netflix says its movie streaming service is now back online. An outage starting Christmas Eve frustrated people hoping to use movies to escape talking to their relatives.                                        

The healthcare overhaul means some tax changes are coming next year no matter what happens with the Fiscal Cliff. Marketplace health reporter Dan Gorenstein explains who will pay for the Affordable Care Act

As the year comes to a close, we’re looking ahead to what’s next in 2013. We’ve got predictions for Washington, health care, and investing, but where are we headed when it comes to energy and the environment? Marketplace sustainability reporter Scott Tong shares his take on a few hot button issues coming to the fore, click to see them here.

And finally, it’s been a tough week for Chinese liquor stocks. The government recently banned its leaders from throwing lavish official banquets with pricey booze. The move sent distillery stocks tumbling. Hit especially hard, the maker of Moutai, which can go for hundreds of dollars a bottle. Beyond its eye-popping price, the Chinese liquor is also famed for its devastating strength. It’s so powerful that during President Nixon’s historic visit to China, his aides tried to keep him from drinking it. But, he toasted anyway.

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