Rico Gagliano

The must-have toy of Christmas 2006 was the Elmo doll. This year? Not so much. Rico Gagliano reports on this holiday season's hit toy, or lack thereof.

When futures traders buy grain, oil or other commodities, they're paying what they think those products will be worth in several weeks or months. How does the process work? Rico Gagliano explains in The Marketplace Decoder.

The National Association of Homebuilders wants to see Congress implement a program to help stimulate buyers and give them a reason to rejoin the market. Rico Gagliano reports the plan involves two parts: tax credits and low fixed rates.

If you want a job in the Obama administration, you better clean up your resume -- and your FaceBook, Flickr and MySpace pages. The applicants are being heavily vetted. Rico Gagliano has the story.

If you are a Sprint customer, you can now see NFL football games on your cell phone. It is part of the wireless company's exclusive $500 million partnership with the league. Rico Gagliano reports.

We've told you how credit default swaps caused trouble for the economy, which are tricky instruments traded in the over-the-counter, or OTC, market. In this Marketplace Decoder, Rico Gagliano explains.

The Federal Reserve has bailed out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers. And there's more to come. The total is estimated at $1.4 trillion. Wondering where that money comes from? Rico Gagliano finds out.

As Americans lose confidence in banks and markets, there's always the safety of your own mattress. But as Rico Gagliano and the Marketplace Players explain, while we've been off investing elsewhere, the rules may have changed.

Is there an end to these financial disasters? To get an answer, Rico Gagliano and the Marketplace Players went to the future and brought back tape of a Marketplace broadcast 25 years from now.

Investment instruments known as collateralized debt obligations are partially to blame for the mortgage crisis. They're complicated and hard to explain, but Rico Gagliano gives it a try with help from Marketplace Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch.