Marketplace All-in-One

Feeding the Family (bonus episode)

22 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For many people gathering around the table this holiday season, things feel a little different. Maybe it’s the cost of ingredients that’s on your ...

Cheers to hosting better parties this holiday season

22 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The holidays are just around the corner. And for many, it might mean being a guest at, or hosting, a friendsgiving get-together or other holiday par...

Off-price retailers shine as consumer moods sour

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

TJX, the parent company of off-price retailers T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, posted excellent earnings this week, while Target cut its sales fo...

The White House wants more offshore drilling

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration has unveiled plans for a huge expansion of offshore oil drilling. Federal law requires the Interior Department to come up wit...

How ICE raids are disrupting D.C.'s economy

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After months of ICE raids on the nation’s capital, some construction workers are afraid to go into Washington, D.C. for work, fearing arrest and dep...

Japan borrows heavily to stimulate its economy

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: Japan's cabinet has approved a stimulus package worth more than $130 billion. It's the first major policy initiative of th...

Bytes: Week in Review — Meta wins antitrust case

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The holiday shopping season is here, and AI companies are pushing new chatbot retail partnerships. But, can these tools deliver on their promises to m...

The long-awaited September jobs report arrives

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The September jobs report finally arrived after a six-week delay, showing employers added 119,000 jobs — well above expectations. The BLS also recor...

The COP without the U.S.

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The United Nations’ climate summit, COP30, is underway in Brazil. But one country is notably absent: the United States. On today’s show, climate l...

Finally, clues about the job market

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a month and a half delay due to the government shutdown, we are finally getting some official economic data. It is old (from September), but it'...

AI to the rescue (for now)

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nvidia reported earnings yesterday after markets closed, and it did not disappoint. Nvidia makes 90% of all chips used in AI. Tech stocks, including N...

Will AI bubble fears persist?

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: Wall Street was cheered last night by better-than-expected results from the chip giant Nvidia. But the AI boom continues t...

The difference between Grokipedia and Wikipedia

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Grokipedia, the AI-powered encyclopedia launched by Elon Musk's xAI last month, promises to be an ideological alternative to Wikipedia. But the tool d...

Too little, too late?

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

China's purchase of 1 million tons of U.S. soybeans ends a trade war freeze. And while it's better than nothing, it's still far below typical November...

Why are retailers hiring fewer seasonal workers?

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a word: uncertainty. Retail chains like Target are pulling back on hiring temporary workers ahead of this year’s holiday shopping season as tarif...

Shock, frustration for those losing ACA subsidies

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some 24 million people buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. But subsidies and tax credits that have made these plans more...

US issues apology for Hyundai immigration raid

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: The chief executive of the South Korean firm Hyundai said that the White House phoned him personally to apologize for an i...

This school trains the workforce behind China's automated factories

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

China recently came out with its latest five-year plan for growth, which will guide the world’s second largest economy through 2030. In it, top Comm...

Rural hospitals were already short-staffed. Then came Trump's H-1B visa fee

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The White House’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications is adding extra pressure to health care systems in rural and low-income areas. Histor...

Are we on the cusp of another big health care debate?

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the Affordable Care Act, it’s been one battle after another. The ongoing fight over the ACA subsidies at the center of the government shutdown a...

Aid for farmers, but not from tariffs

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is starting a second round of aid — about $16 billion — for farmers affected by natural disasters. The aid is a...

Do city-owned grocery stores work?

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani swept the election on a campaign all about affordability. One pillar of that platform was the idea of city-ow...

Google's CEO on the AI boom and potential bubble

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: The artificial intelligence revolution is firmly underway, with tech giants investing billions in research and battling to...

For politicians, what makes a successful TikTok?

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One thing almost everyone can agree on about Zohran Mamdani, mayor-elect of New York City: he's very good at vertical short-form video.Love it or hate...

Why we've got an eye on this week's corporate earnings

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A few big box retailers report earnings soon, including Target, Walmart and Lowe’s. That could give some clarity on the state of the American consum...

Checking in with American exporters and Chinese buyers

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in South Korea late last month, some tariffs have been suspended or lowered, and China ...

What happens when the government finally does the numbers

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tomorrow's when we’re supposed to learn more about how imports and exports have been faring from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, though the 43-day g...

Brazilian soy farmers want Amazon restrictions to be lifted

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: As COP30 in Brazil enters its second week, one of the key agreements protecting the Amazon rainforest is under threat from...

Bridging the uncanny valley of lab-grown meat

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

About a third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from our food systems, and livestock production is a big part of that. Experts largely agree tha...

Trump's tariff turnaround

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The latest in President Donald Trump’s trade war waffling? Tariff exemptions aimed at lowering Americans’ grocery bills. Affected products could i...

What’s happening in Vegas?

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Latin Grammys threw a party in Las Vegas last night. But this year, the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has had a chilling effect o...

Does the Fed now have a "dueling mandate"?

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Even though we haven’t gotten recent economic data because of the government shutdown, there’s still plenty of speculation that the next Fed meeti...

How optimistic are small business owners in this economy?

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How optimistic are small business owners nowadays? According to a recent survey, the picture is downbeat — many owners have been dealing with tariff...

U.S. to ease tariffs on coffee and bananas

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: Donald Trump is set to cut import taxes on products like coffee, bananas, and beef as part of trade agreements with four L...

Bytes: Week in Review – Wikipedia urges AI companies to pay for its data, again

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week we learned the Japanese investment firm Softbank sold all of its stake in the juggernaut chipmaker Nvidia. We'll get into why on today's “...

What happens when the data takes a month off?

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the government shutdown officially over, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is back at work after a 43-day hiatus. But all that missed data can’t b...

An unbalancing of power

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Congress may have ended the shutdown (finally), but it’s still entangled in a power struggle with the Executive Branch. Kai Ryssdal has thoughts. On...

What else is in the legislation to reopen the government? A lot.

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The longest government shutdown ever ended last night when President Donald Trump signed a stopgap bill to keep federal agencies going through Jan. 30...

Fixing the hemp loophole

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

By now, you know that the House passed legislation last night to reopen the government. But you might not know about a provision that would completely...

As U.S. tariffs bite, India gives credit lifeline to exporters

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: India’s government has approved a $5 billion credit line to support its struggling exporters, as Indian workers across s...

How to train your humanoid robot

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tech firms are racing to develop robot assistants that can take over our dreaded household chores. But teaching machines to perform these deceptively ...

Are we spending more because we can, or because we have to?

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Consumers may have revved up their spending in October, but spending more doesn’t mean getting more — prices are also up this holiday season. In t...

Would 50-year mortgages make it easier to buy a home?

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump and Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte have floated the idea of a 50-year mortgage as a potential way to make h...

Even if the government reopens, what about all that economic data?

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After 43 days, the government shutdown could end today. But there are still lingering questions: When will food stamps be distributed to beneficiaries...

Australia's spy chief warns of foreign hacker threat

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: Australia is increasingly vulnerable to "high-impact sabotage" from hackers backed by China, according to Australian intel...

Is grass-fed beef more nutritious? How can I waste less food? Is insect protein tasty?

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout the season, we asked you all what questions you had about food, solutions and climate change, and you did not disappoint! In this episode, ...

Are there enough workers to build geothermal energy networks?

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Combatting climate change will likely require a multi-pronged approach to renewable energy generation. After all, it's not sunny or windy everywhere a...

More labor market blues

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Business owners aren’t too optimistic about the labor market, according to an NFIB survey. About a third are struggling to fill an open position, an...

The rise of the "solo economy"

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Singles Day in China: a retail holiday that runs circles around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. By comparison, single Americans are an untapped ...

Tariffs to hit a dinner table favorite: Italian pasta

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration is moving to levy tariffs of over 90% on popular Italian pasta brands on “anti-dumping” grounds. We look at how the move ...

'Cryptoqueen' facing jail after huge bitcoin seizure

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: A Chinese woman will be sentenced in London later for her role in a Bitcoin scam worth billions of dollars. Qian Zhimin wa...

No shutdown relief for air travel yet

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Senate passed a deal last night to end the record-setting government shutdown. But that hasn’t yet translated into relief for the beleaguered ai...

What are royalties, trademark and copyright?

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s karaoke night for Bridget and Ryan, but something stops them from belting their favorite tunes on their podcast: the law. It’s the perfect se...

The old technique that could power future nuclear reactors

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some AI companies are turning to nuclear power to meet demand for electricity. But traditional nuclear plants can take decades to bring online. Now so...

Where we're at with tariffs and inflation

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Despite expectations surrounding President Donald Trump’s tariffs, inflation doesn’t seem to be speeding up — though it’s hard to say for sure...

What's with the quiet over commercial real estate lending?

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Commercial real estate has been struggling in the years since the pandemic. Office attendance has risen, though not as much in smaller cities. And whi...

A potential end to the government shutdown

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s movement in Washington toward ending the government shutdown. The Senate held a procedural vote yesterday. Seven Democrats and one independe...

China eases export controls

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: China has lifted export controls on computer chips that are vital to car production, marking an easing of trade tensions b...

Chocolate's high tech and climate-friendly pivot

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Extreme weather caused by climate change is affecting agriculture and raising the cost of foods like coffee, olive oil and chocolate. Cocoa prices hav...

Consumer sentiment hits three-year low

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Consumer sentiment — as in, how everyday people feel about the economy — fell to a low not seen since 2022, according to the University of Michiga...

How rising energy costs factored into Virginia's elections

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s edition of Economics on Tap, we’re heading to Virginia! The state held major elections this week, and affordability was top of mind for...

Gotta catch 'em all (as an investment)

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The value of Pokémon cards soared during the pandemic, and some have climbed in value nearly 4,000% over the past two decades. For some, Pokémon car...

Welcome to Day One of flight-mageddon

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Starting today, the Federal Aviation Administration is requiring airlines to reduce flights at 40 airports because of the strain that air traffic cont...

U.S. media giant zooms in on iconic British TV company

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service:

Bytes: Week in Review - Quantifying AI's impact on job cuts

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On today's “Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we discuss federal cybersecurity cutbacks that affected this week’s elections and a caucus of Midwester...

A 20-year record for job cuts

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas counted over 153,000 job cuts in this country last month — the most October layoffs since 2003. Are compan...

Quantum computing: What's all the hype about?

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Quantum computing is still in an experimental phase, but tech companies say it could eventually have an enormous impact on the global economy. How lon...

When an AI data center moves in next door

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elyria-Swansea, a largely Latino neighborhood in Denver, has plenty of industrial sources for air pollution: a dog food factory, an oil refinery, a hi...

Skepticism and a civics lesson from SCOTUS

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, Supreme Court justices heard arguments and asked questions about whether an emergency powers law could be used by a president to overhaul i...

World leaders arrive in Brazil ahead of COP30

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: The summit is part of an effort to show that the climate crisis remains a top priority, although some big names won't be i...

Former regional Fed president: We need an "AI land grant act"

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Big tech companies have invested hundreds of billions in AI infrastructure, including data centers that are popping up all over the country. Construct...

The job market keeps flashing warning signs

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With no government jobs data available during the shutdown, analysts have turned to private reports for clues about the labor market. In the latest ro...

The rise of the private asset

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The London Stock Exchange has launched a series of indexes to track private investment funds. "Private investment" is a phrase we've been hearing a lo...

Trump's tariffs get their day in court

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments today on whether President Donald Trump can use emergency powers to levy tariffs. The law in question doesn...

Shein opens a storefront in Paris amid investigation

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: Shein is making headlines for more than its new brick-and-mortar store in Paris’s famed BHV department store. But the la...

The Dry Line

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The 100th meridian is the longitudinal boundary separating the humid East and the arid West. Researchers say the dry line is moving east because of cl...

Silicon Valley's tech bro culture is changing

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rya Jetha, tech culture reporter at The San Francisco Standard, spends a lot of time thinking about the industry’s internal dynamics. Gone are the c...

What to know as SCOTUS weighs Trump's tariffs

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday for and against the legality of President Trump’s signature economic policy: tariffs. In thi...

Friends, foes, and tariffs

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump’s tariffs have rattled the global economy this year. That goes for both allies and adversaries of the United States. But the ...

Why pay $50 billion for the headache known as Tylenol?

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kimberly-Clark’s stock closed down 14% yesterday after it gambled nearly $50 billion on a company called Kenvue, maker of Listerine, Band-Aids, and ...

How shifting tariff policy hits one Pennsylvania business

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oral arguments over the Trump administration's "reciprocal tariffs" are set for tomorrow, in a test over limits to a president's power to act without ...

Starbucks stirs things up in China

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: Starbucks is selling the majority stake of its business in China to investment firm Boyu Capital as part of a $4 billion d...

Sora 2's disinformation problem

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

OpenAI’s latest AI video generator Sora 2 has gotten a lot of attention for its realistic creations. The tool is supposed to have guardrails to prev...

Why do we have $2 bills if nobody uses them?

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Skimbleshanks’ birthday bash and Bridget and Ryan head to the two-dollar general store for party supplies. When they get back, they tackle Ha...

How long until SNAP reaches kitchen tables?

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration has been court ordered to partially fund this month’s SNAP benefits, after refusing to step in during the shutdown. Emergen...

Are Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs legal or not?

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

That's the question before the Supreme Court this week. President Donald Trump has been declaring an emergency and then using emergency authority to i...

What hunger looks like in one state as SNAP starts to dry up

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This past weekend, as the shutdown stretches on, funds for SNAP benefits began to dry up. The Treasury Secretary says payments could restart this week...

Stocks rise on heels of U.S.-China trade deal

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: Markets in Asia rose in reaction to the outcome of the APEC meetings in South Korea as the U.S. and China stepped back fro...

Sam Bankman-Fried returns to court to challenge fraud verdict

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is serving 25 years in federal prison for fraud. His company collapsed and w...

How to face your financial fears

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s show, we’re talking about facing your financial fears, because it’s a scary time for many in this economy! Reema Khrais, host of “T...

How the economy went "K-shaped"

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. economy is increasingly “K-shaped.” That means the gap between the wealthiest companies and consumers, and ... everyone else, is growing....

Business leaders to Congress: End the shutdown

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The government shutdown has now lasted a full month. Now, some business leaders — including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, ...

Clues about where inflation might be headed

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve's favorite inflation measure, was supposed to be released today. But at day 31 ...

With Trump back in D.C., business talks in South Korea continue

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: Chinese President Xi Jinping told leaders attending the APEC summit in South Korea of the need to deepen economic cooperat...

Bytes: Week in Review - Is AI to blame for this week's wave of layoffs?

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Several major firms announced tens of thousands of job layoffs this week, and some reports are putting the blame on AI. Plus, startup Character.AI say...

The case of the missing GDP report

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the government shutdown delaying the Bureau of Economic Analysis' third quarter GDP estimate, economists turn to Fed models and private analysts....

How can we build a more resilient labor market?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As big companies announce waves of layoffs, lots of workers are worried about AI coming for their jobs. On today’s show, we tune in to part of Kimbe...

A one-year trade truce

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have pulled U.S.-China relations back from the brink. China says both sides will suspend plans...

SNAP is "a really important, invisible piece" of the economy

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If nothing changes before the weekend, most of the 42 million people on food stamps, or SNAP, will not get their November benefits as scheduled. The i...

Is the U.S.-China trade war finally cooling off?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From the BBC World Service: At a long-anticipated meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea and discus...