Jill Barshay

The average college textbook bill is pushing $1,000 a year. Jill Barshay tells us how students and professors are dodging high prices.

Luxury brands usually don't suffer much when the economy tanks. But Gucci is struggling and making a big shift to cheaper down-market goods. Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton is growing like gangbusters. Jill Barshay reports.

The automaker bucked the odds today, posting a net income of $100 million. Strong sales in Europe and South America, and employee buyouts are cited as contributing factors. Marketplace's Jill Barshay reports on the surprising news.

America's hunger for energy-efficiency cars isn't doing much for auto makers whose lineups favor pickup trucks and SUVs. One of those, the Ford Motor Company is expected to report a fourth-quarter loss today. Jill Barshay reports

Security matters become the key issue in the Treasury Department's new rules for overseas investors. Companies involved in defense or homeland security are most likely to be scrutinized. Jill Barshay reports.

A quarterly survey of 109 corporate economists finds them in a pessimistic mood about the future of their businesses. Higher commodity costs are one reason for the gloomy outlook. Jill Barshay reports.

Jumbo home loans -- anything larger than $417,000 -- have become more expensive than regular mortgages. They're 7% instead of 5.9%. Now Freddie Mac has a deal with four lenders to lower the rate. Jill Barshay reports.

A new survey of hedge-fund managers shows the top five made more than $1 billion a year each -- even as the housing and credit markets fell down the rabbit hole. Jill Barshay reports.

A growing chunk of college costs is the price of textbooks, on which the typical undergraduate spends $900 a year. So a group of college professors is calling for low-priced and free texts online. Congress is getting involved, too. Jill Barshay reports.

Over the next several weeks, the government is expected to mail out $100 billion in stimulus rebates. Retail stores and electronics makers are already plotting to take that money away. Jill Barshay reports.