Pending home sales grew for a fourth-straight month in November and housing supply just hit a four-year high. But that’s partly because many listings are “stale inventory,” sitting on the market for at least 60 days. Also in this episode: An old material used in a new way for climate-friendly high rises, social media budgeters breathe new life into the cash-in-envelopes strategy, and seniors on Medicare will pay less out of pocket for prescriptions starting Jan. 1.

Major cell phone companies say their networks are secure now from a Chinese hack nicknamed Salt Typhoon. But the U.S. government is still urging people who are in senior government or senior political positions to use encrypted messaging on mobile devices. Also on the program: Economist Julia Coronado discusses why she’s waiting to make economic predictions for the year ahead, and the Cook Islands contemplate deep sea mining.

Jimmy Carter, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, died yesterday at 100. He served as president from 1977 to 1981, a term with the lows of U.S. hostages in Iran and the highs of the Camp David Accords. The Carter years were also strained by the economy. Today, we’ll reflect on his impacts. Plus, bets on a bull market in 2025 and an examination of surging rates of homelessness.

From the BBC World Service: Norway has suspended its plans for commercial-scale deep sea mining after facing criticism from environmental scientists. In the Pacific, the Cook Islands hopes the practice could help bolster its economy, but it’s not without opposition. But first: South Korea’s acting president has ordered a safety inspection of the country’s entire airline system after 179 people were killed in a plane crash on Sunday.

Have you ever found yourself angry or outraged at a piece of content on social media? A disgusting recipe or shocking opinion? It could be intentional. Social media influencer Winta Zesu freely admits that she provokes for profit — and made $150,000 last year by posting content meant to elicit “hate comments.” She’s part of a growing group of online creators making rage-bait content, where the goal is simple: record videos, produce memes and write posts that make other users viscerally angry, then bask in the thousands, or even millions, of shares and likes. The BBC’s Megan Lawton reports.

When workers get more productive, higher wages might follow. So what about jobs that just can’t get more productive? In this episode, we explain why those workers’ wages may rise anyway — a concept called the Baumol effect — with help from an economist who’s also an amateur bassoonist. Plus, the trade deficit is no sweat, a Georgia program trains refugees for tech jobs and we check in with an urban tour guide in Kansas City.

With threats of sharply higher import duties under a second administration of Donald Trump, companies are rushing to insulate themselves from the higher cost of doing business that could follow. More businesses are opting to stockpile inventory and look for manufacturers or suppliers outside of China. Also on the program: a giant of corporate America has died, and more younger people are looking to bet on sports.

In recent decades, technology like automation and software advances has upended jobs, from taxi drivers to factory workers and more. But by historic standards, occupational churn has actually been pretty low. Artificial intelligence could change that, however. We’ll learn more. But first, our gift to you is this reminder: 40% of you have an unused gift card sitting there, plump with money you may have forgotten you had.

From the BBC World Service: South Korea has voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo, two weeks after parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his failed attempt to impose martial law. All that turmoil is having a negative impact on the economy. Then, with less than a month to go until Donald Trump is back in the White House, many companies are rushing to protect themselves from planned tariffs.

It’s fair to say China dominates in electric vehicle sales. The country is the world’s biggest consumer of electric cars and has dozens of automakers competing in the space. Last year, Chinese companies sold about 9.5 million EVs and plug-in hybrid cars. But the industry faces mounting trade pressures. The Biden administration imposed a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs which President-elect Donald Trump is expected to continue. Meanwhile the European Union recently raised tariffs up to 45%, citing concerns that Chinese government subsidies give the companies an unfair advantage. Subsidies certainly help but there are other factors giving Chinese EV’s an edge. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty spoke with Marketplace’s China correspondent Jennifer Pak about how those factors could keep Chinese EV makers competitive, even in a more restrictive global market.

General Electric broke its business into three separate public companies this year, putting a higher profile on corporate spinoff strategies. We’ll explain why spinoffs are hot right now. Hint: It has a lot to do with rewarding investors and managing debt burdens. Also in this episode: Congress may struggle to pass tax reforms despite a GOP majority next year, AI agents might be tech’s next big thing and why the Fed tracks the U.S. money supply.