Marketplace

Marketplace

Every weekday, host Kai Ryssdal helps you make sense of the day’s business and economic news — no econ degree or finance background required. “Marketplace” takes you beyond the numbers, bringing you context. Our team of reporters all over the world speak with CEOs, policymakers and regular people just trying to get by.

  • 25 minutes 51 seconds
    A pretty, pretty good economy (for some)

    The good news? The Commerce Department says personal income and consumption were up in June. Bad news is savings didn’t rise with ’em. In fact, high interest rates and high prices have battered the personal savings rate down to an almost two-year low, leaving many households without a financial security cushion. In this episode, we’ll also get into why national manufacturing growth depends on where you are, and Boston is incentivizing office to residential real estate conversions.

    26 July 2024, 11:21 pm
  • 27 minutes 1 second
    Let’s zoom in

    New gross domestic product data just came in — GDP grew a healthy 2.8% annually in the second quarter, better than predicted. Meanwhile, consumers are focused on buying essentials and credit card debt is growing. In this episode, we’ll examine why GDP is strong while many everyday people feel squeezed for cash. Plus: New real estate broker fee rules take effect next month and the number of Americans who predict they’ll retire young is up.

    25 July 2024, 11:24 pm
  • 27 minutes 20 seconds
    Ringing in 15 years of the $7.25 federal minimum wage

    The last time Congress raised the federal minimum wage, it went up 70 cents — from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour. That was in 2009. Today, we’ll get into why there hasn’t been a successful push to boost it since then and who suffers as a result. Plus, officials in China promise major tax reform, apartment vacancies in Sun Belt cities rise and the Federal Reserve keeps an eye on GDP estimates.

    24 July 2024, 11:02 pm
  • 27 minutes 32 seconds
    Talking the (workplace) talk

    “Act your wage,” “coffee badging,” “ghost jobs” — the internet is always vomiting up new workplace phrases. You may even use some of them to describe the bizarre job market of the past few years. So when popular work slang shifts from silly — “lazy girl jobs” — to grim — “quiet cutting” — are there hints about where the labor market is headed? Also in this episode: Tech firms ditch user counts, car sales motor on despite high costs and educators get educated about jobs at the Port of Baltimore.

    23 July 2024, 11:26 pm
  • 27 minutes 28 seconds
    Does the bond market care about Biden’s election exit?

    In the face of major news, some say the bond market can signal what comes next economically. But so far, bond yields don’t seem to be reacting to Biden’s dropping out of the presidential race. In this episode, what the crystal ball of the economy does care about in regard to elections. Plus, business investments outpace GDP gains, Nvidia employees cash in on the chipmaker’s hockey stick-shaped earnings growth and Friday’s CrowdStrike crash reveals a common cybersecurity weakness.

    22 July 2024, 10:57 pm
  • 27 minutes 23 seconds
    The blue screen of death

    Nearly every economic sector relies on secure technology networks: retailers, airlines, hospitals and more. After a faulty software update by cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike, businesses across the globe came screeching to a halt, dragging customers with them. In this episode, the tech firm behind today’s maddening “blue screen of death.” Plus: why the Federal Reserve plans communication blackouts, a former delivery driver remembers using chickens to mark her routes, and industry upheaval threatens an Alaskan fishing community.

    19 July 2024, 11:31 pm
  • 25 minutes 4 seconds
    What do rising unemployment claims mean for the economy?

    The number of people filing for jobless benefits in each of the last two weeks rose. That means it’s taking job seekers longer to find employment. It’s also offers mild support to those who want to see lower interest rates. Also: Who’s spending and who isn’t? And what AI means for authors and publishers.

    18 July 2024, 11:34 pm
  • 25 minutes 50 seconds
    It’s homebuying season

    Now’s the time of year when many families look for a new home. But it’s a seemingly impossible market for first-time buyers: high prices, high mortgage rates, high insurance, low inventory. We’ll explain how some are pulling it off and why some experts believe lower home prices and rents are in sight. Also: State and local governments have been on a hiring spree, and business inventories are up.

    17 July 2024, 10:57 pm
  • 26 minutes 21 seconds
    Consumers are still consuming

    Retail sales numbers released today show spending was flat last month. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll see Americans spent more in June than May. What does this mean for the Federal Reserve as it considers lowering interest rates? Also: Homebuilders are feeling a little less confident, and AI is trying to read emotions. Plus, the nocturnal sprint at UPS’ one-day-shipping hub.

    16 July 2024, 10:45 pm
  • 25 minutes 40 seconds
    That lurking recession never showed up

    The economy seems to be coming in for a soft landing, and that’s a big reason banks are doing so well. Markets are up, emboldening companies to make merger deals, which they pay investment banks to execute. JPMorgan Chase just posted the highest quarterly net income for a bank in U.S. history — $18.1 billion. Also: On the eve of Amazon Prime Day, how a shipping hub handles quick turnarounds. Plus, another decline in China’s GDP, and a DJ looks back at her analog life spinning vinyl.

    15 July 2024, 10:57 pm
  • 26 minutes 15 seconds
    America’s got a power grid problem

    Nearly a million Texans are without power after Hurricane Beryl damaged an already fragile energy grid. As they wait for the lights come back on, we’ll explain why pretty much the whole country needs costly energy grid updates, especially as climate change makes weather more extreme. Also in this episode: Students who attended for-profit colleges are drowning in debt, and legal experts break down what might happen to federal regulatory agencies without the Chevron deference.

    12 July 2024, 10:37 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App
© MoonFM 2024. All rights reserved.