Marketplace

What comes after the trade deficit surge

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. trade deficit hit a record high in March, as businesses rushed to bring in goods ahead of new import taxes. Now that President Trump’s tari...

How cheap is too cheap?

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oil companies are barely breaking even on crude oil right now — a barrel of West Texas Intermediate started Monday at a paltry $58. If prices stay l...

Supply chain strain, redux

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been one month since President Trump raised tariffs on goods from China. Already, the global supply chain is struggling. In this episode, we’...

What will Trump's trade war do to labor productivity?

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An upward climb in labor productivity has been a promising economic trend over the past few years. That’s important because productivity drives over...

"March is ancient history"

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The latest GDP calculations and PCE index tell us the U.S. economy is doing … OK. Importantly, the data doesn’t point to stagflation. But the data...

Tariff fears likely shrunk the GDP

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When new gross domestic product data comes out tomorrow, economists expect we'll see the first GDP contraction in three years. But the report is backw...

Taxes due today on goods sold tomorrow

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Though it’s hard to say how much tariff-driven sticker shock consumers can stomach, some retailers have begun raising their prices. Other companies ...

In this uncertain economy, gold shines

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The stock and bond markets may tumultuous right now, but gold prices have been on a tear. This week, they hit an all time high of $3,500 an ounce. In ...

Trump aims axe at community lender fund

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund supports lenders in far-flung and underserved areas. It also made a laundry list of...

Say goodbye to affordable clothing

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump’s tariffs will touch the vast majority of industries, but apparel — clothes, shoes, accessories — will be particularly impacted. Around 98...

No job? No office phone? Thanks DOGE.

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Verizon lost nearly 300,000 monthly phone subscribers in the first quarter. The telecom giant put partial blame on ongoing government layoffs. Verizon...

Boeing aircraft, duty-free no more

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The scale and volatility of the trade war may be surprising, but tariffs aren’t new — unless you’re an aircraft manufacturer. (A trade agreement...

Special Coverage from Marketplace: Selling America

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stop us if you’ve heard this before: We’re in an unprecedented economic moment. But this time really is different. America’s place in the glob...

A housing market dilemma

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some relief seems to have arrived on the housing shortage front — listings are up 9% compared to last year. But buyers who’ve been waiting for mor...

Amid turmoil, firms cling to their employees

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

First-time jobless claims have been pretty stable since the start of March — unlike many other parts of the economy. President Donald Trump’s tari...

Tariff anxiety turns fun splurges into stress purchases

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve heard about people rushing to replace big-ticket essentials ahead of trade war-related price hikes, but what about stuff that’s more of a wa...

Counting the ways tariffs disrupt our economy

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the first few years of the pandemic, businesses navigated a backed-up global supply chain that left some with excess inventory and others with no ...

Office uncertainty — inside and out

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fear of unemployment jumped 4.6 percentage points to 44% in March, according to a New York Fed survey. That’s the highest it’s been since April 20...

Expect tariff evasion

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just like some people fudge the numbers to lower their taxes, some companies do the same when paying tariffs on foreign goods. The federal government ...

Eyeing the bond market

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stocks aren’t the only assets in the financial markets that were beat up this week by President Trump’s tariffs. Bonds suffered too. After 3-year ...

Acting on uncertainty

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve said it more than once lately: This economy is defined by uncertainty. And as President Trump makes aggressive, if erratic, moves on trade and...

A cold snap in corporate bonds

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The issuance of corporate bonds has slowed to a crawl, thanks to all that uncertainty in the economy. And without raising money in the bond market, fi...

Footwear will likely still be “Made in China”

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Import levies on Chinese goods amount to 54% right now. But some things that China excels at producing will likely remain in China. In this episode, w...

Who will tariffs hurt the most?

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tariff-driven inflation will hit Americans with the lowest incomes the hardest, slashing their disposable income by at least $1,700 a year, the Yale ...

Reminder: Tariffs are taxes.

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Uncertainty about tariffs and trade policy has been top of mind since President Donald Trump’s election in November. We finally know how high those ...

Q1 dealmaking takes a dive

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Corporate dealmakers hoped merger and acquisition ventures would heat up this year. But the first quarter of 2025 saw the slowest M&A activity in ...

The negative wealth effect

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People feel richer — and spend accordingly — when their assets rise in value. That’s called the wealth effect. But when folks get their retireme...

Will owning a home ever be affordable again?

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just how expensive has homeownership become? To afford a typical home, households need an income of about $117,000 right now — a 50% increase from $...

Are U.S. consumers finally running out of steam?

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Consumers say they’re fed up with inflation, then they keep spending. But their behavior could be catching up with their anxiety, an economist told ...

Uncertainty, thy name is tariff

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2024, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported today. That number tells us where ...

The law of unintended consequences

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More tariffs are on the way, this time targeting vehicle imports. President Donald Trump favors import taxes, partly because, he argues, they’ll hel...

Consumer confidence continues to dim

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The latest reading marks the fourth straight month of declining consumer confidence, and it fell more than expected. How will the souring mood affect ...

Will tariffs boost U.S. manufacturing?

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Donald Trump administration wants to strengthen U.S. manufacturing with tariffs on imported goods. We look at the latest purchasing managers repor...

Measuring a tax cut is all about the framing

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re tackling a “mysterious and important” question in today’s episode: Should Congress use “current policy” or “current law” baselin...

These sectors are bracing for price hikes

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More tariffs are set to take effect April 2, and in most cases, American consumers and businesses will pay the tax. We’ll explain why some sectors e...

Fed takes “wait and see” approach with tariffs

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Federal Reserve policymakers aren’t cutting interest rates right now, though they expect two rate cuts in 2025. When — and if — those cuts come ...

Stress-Googling “recession”? You’re not alone.

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Recession” recently peaked on Google Trends — a sure sign Americans are sweating the possibility of an economic downturn. But what do the numbe...

Working 9 to 5 — and 6 to 11. Maybe weekends too.

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

About 8.9 million. That’s how many U.S. workers worked more than one job in February — an all-time high, according to the Bureau of Labor Statisti...

Will homebuyers spring at lower rates?

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mortgage rates have fallen recently to 6.6% for a 30-year fixed. But will it be enough to bring prospective homebuyers off the sidelines? Not accordin...

The weakening dollar

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Dollar Index has fallen sharply in the last few weeks, thanks largely to tariff flip-flopping and overall economic uncertainty. Typically, si...

Could economic feelings become fact?

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just 44% of employees feel confident about the next six months at their company, a Glassdoor survey found — the lowest in nine years. Thank governme...

Remember tariff exclusions?

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2018 — the last time President Donald Trump led a trade war — some businesses got tariff exemptions if they imported goods that couldn’t...

Selling a “completely destroyed” home

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Terri Bromberg lost her home of 20 years in the Los Angeles fires. Rather than rebuild, the artist and professor chose to sell and move elsewhere. Pro...

The contrarian jobs report

08 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Overall employment dropped last month, according to the monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, employers added job...

This isn’t the 2018 trade war

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Federal Reserve may be steering the economy through another trade war. But this time, the inflation of the last few years complicates its task. Al...

Uncertainty is a certainty

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ask an economist what’s driving decision-making right now, and the answer may well be “uncertainty.” In this episode, the unpredictable environm...

Tariff pain and retaliation

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

They’re here: President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico begin today, as well as an additional 10% tax on goods from Chi...

Bird flu spreads its wings

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As bird flu proliferates across U.S. farms, infecting chickens, cows and even humans, some public health experts worry that that funding to deal with ...

Will Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes workers stay?

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the past decade, filming outside of Los Angeles has become a cost-effective option for many major studios. And lower housing costs are driving many...

Hope or fear?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Capital goods orders picked up in January — that’s stuff businesses buy that’ll last a while, like tools and equipment. Is it a sign business ow...

The GDP equation

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The second Trump administration has made spending cuts a priority  — already, the president has enacted a funding freeze and laid off thousands of ...

A housing reality check

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Home Depot, which makes most of its money from renovations, said small projects are driving its sales. That suggests homeowners are staying put — ma...

Who’s in the consumer-spending driver’s seat?

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The top 10% of earners account for half of all consumer spending in the U.S., a new study shows. In other words, if the goods and services Americans b...

Tumbling economic sentiment — especially for Dems

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

American consumers agree: High prices aren’t going anywhere. All that stress about inflation, and throw in the impact of tariffs, heightens uncertai...

Access to federal data in flux

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last month, key federal data sets were removed from government websites following actions by the Donald Trump administration, and researchers rushed t...

Vote with your wallet

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How low can it go?

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

All these sellers, but where are the buyers?

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you buy the retail sales number?

15 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time to sell!

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s next for BP?

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Making waves

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some things haven’t changed

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Where did all the normal-priced stuff go?

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump’s bid to take down the 10-year yield

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

So, about those tax cuts from Trump’s first term…

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, the U.S. owes itself money

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Theme of the day: Uncertainty

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Employers pay up for health care too

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The economy that could be

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cents and sensitivity

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas