U.S. families expect to spend more than $900 on back-to-school shopping this year, according to one PwC survey. Big box retailers have taken advantage of anxiety about higher costs by pushing school supplies earlier than ever. In this episode, how consumer mood correlates to consumer spending. Plus: Holiday weekend heat strains electric grids, Boeing and Airbus aircraft demand persists, and algae can make or break Great Lakes summer tourism.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode: Anxiety is driving some of our early back-to-school shoppingChicago Fed launches a new consumer sentiment composite indexWeekend heat wave tests the country's power gridWhat's behind the massive appetite for new Boeing and Airbus planesHow the algae in Lake Erie can make or break the Great Lakes economyHow homeownership turned an HR professional into a plant entrepreneur

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.