Kai Risdahl

There's also a lot of demand for corporate debt.

Drew Pascarella at Cornell University says that's because the economy and corporate profits are in pretty good shape.

The direct question that is on the mind of a lender, am I going to get paid back?

You know, the answer seems to be pretty positive here, notwithstanding the backdrop of the war.

But another reason why companies are issuing debt is because they think rates could rise more in the future, says Cooper Howard with Charles Schwab, a Marketplace underwriter.

So that's one of the other reasons why you're seeing issuers come to market now is to remove some of that uncertainty.

Howard says interest rates could rise further if inflation keeps picking up and if the war drags on.

If gas prices remain elevated for an extended period of time, that begins to choke off lower income consumers and begins to constrain growth going forward.

And Howard says a slower economy with less spending makes corporate bonds seem riskier.

I'm Justin Ho for Marketplace.

Yum!

Brands reported earnings this morning better than expected, thanks mostly to its leading brand, Taco Bell.

An 8% increase in same-store sales, one of those key indicators that restaurants use to measure how healthy they are.

The company says diners are focused on its value menu and specialty items.

But there is something else Taco Bell has been serving up that's resonating with consumers.

Dare we call it culture?

Marketplace's Kristen Schwab has that one.

It is a fire queso packet you pour onto a taco.

And yes, you can eat the packet, guys.

Not every brand can kind of pull it off.