Stacey Vanek Smith

California is on the brink of financial disaster. The Golden State is $42 billion in debt and lawmakers still haven't agreed on a budget. If they don't come up with a plan, California might be facing bankruptcy. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

The movies "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and "The International" open this weekend. But will viewers be entertained by a movie about our pre-recession consumption or one about our current banking crisis? Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

If reported merger talks between Live Nation and Ticketmaster come to fruition, the new company could centralize power in the music industry and potentially drown out competition. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

With consumer credit-card debt climbing, banks are shifting marketing strategies to get their plastic in the hands of more financially stable customers. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

A few years ago, 3D was supposed to be the next big thing in movies. But last time we went to the theater, most movies were flat on the screen. Stacey Vanek-Smith explains why the movie industry has yet to completely enter the third dimension.

The technology on a smart phone can show marketers everything you do, from your purchases to transactions made through online banking. But Stacey Vanek-Smith reports why that wealth of information has its limits.

The 2008 holiday shopping season was one of the worst ever. Retailers offered a lot of sales, but it didn't get people to hit up the stores. As Stacey Vanek-Smith reports, all those markdowns have created an expectation from consumers and put retailers in a bad spot.

In this economy, it seems like everything is on sale -- homes, clothes, stocks, cars. What could be wrong with that, right? Lots of things. In this installment of the Marketplace Decoder, Stacey Vanek-Smith explains deflation.

Bernard Madoff's victims should know soon how much money they can recover from his scheme. Meanwhile, investors are suing hedge funds for putting their money into his fund, and that could prompt more regulation. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

Sales of luxury goods are down. But even for shoppers who can afford to splurge, flaunting your moneybags is not so cool. So, high-end shoppers are turning to catalogs to spend their money and it's working out pretty well. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.