Hour 1
Last month's unemployment figures and jobs losses came out last week and many economists breathed a sigh of relief. Unemployment numbers remained unchanged, despite the east coast snow storms, and the 35,000 job losses were less than many had expected. This hour, we talk with MARK ZANDI, chief economist and co-founder of Moody's Economy.com, about the unemployment numbers and what they say about the state of our economy and the fiscal stimulus. We'll also talk about the financial regulation legislation that is stalled in Congress and the recent jobs bill that passed the House.

Filed under: economy, politics |

Hour 2
Under the tight times of the recession, many of us have become obsessive bargain hunters. But buyers beware – those markdowns and discounts have been carefully crafted by price consultants to manipulate our sense of value. The psychology of pricing is the subject of author William Poundstone's new book "Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It)." Poundstone writes about the different techniques used to get consumers to spend, including placing an exorbitantly high-priced "anchor" item in upscale stores to make all the other items appear affordable. We'll talk to Poundstone about the pricing tricks marketers play and why they are so successful.

Filed under: author, economy |