Business and Economy

President Obama recently named the first five "Promise Zones." They're high-poverty areas targeted for economic revitalization. Host Michel Martin learns about the Kentucky Highlands Promise Zone from Jerry Rickett, head of the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation.

Inflation is very low: Prices rose 1.5 percent last year, according to the consumer price index report released this morning.

But when you dig into the numbers, you see some notable price swings. Here are a few that caught our eye for different reasons.

The price of bacon rose 9.6 percent.

There were 326,000 first-time claims for jobless benefits filed last week, the Employment and Training Administration said Thursday.

While down only 2,000 from the previous week, claims did hold steady around the level where they were typically running before December 2007, when the economy slipped into its latest recession.

The post-holidays hard news continues for employees of some major retailers.

One week after discount retailer Loehmann's started liquidating its inventory and Macy's announced it is eliminating 2,500 jobs, there's word that J.C. Penney is cutting 2,000 jobs and closing 33 stores.

Liquor companies like to make drinkers think their favorite spirits always have been and always will be attached to a very particular place — Kentucky bourbon, Irish whiskey, Russian vodka.

But like many other industries, the liquor business has gone global, and a small number of players increasingly dominate the industry worldwide. The distilling may still be local, but ownership is definitely international.

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And our last word in business is: Surveillance - not from the NSA, but from a store near you.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Retailers have long tracked activity in stores, with video cameras. Now, they have an option to track you. Security tech company 3VR has unveiled an in-store video camera that allegedly uses facial recognition to gauge your age, gender and mood.

INSKEEP: Retailers could use real-time information to customize digital signs - just as you are passing.

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Big banks' control of commodities, like aluminum and oil, is drawing more scrutiny. The Federal Reserve is considering restricting banks' ability to trade and warehouse physical commodities.

And NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports, Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee believe the Fed isn't moving fast enough.

Under normal circumstances, the Fed bars bank holding companies from trading or owning commodities. The idea is a bank might be able to hoard a commodity to lower the supply and force up the price.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Apple has agreed to compensate consumers who bought more than they realized from the company. The company will also fix a problem that led to some unauthorized spending.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: