About this podcast
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.
Episodes
- Nvidia was AI's linchpin. Now what? · 25 minBig Tech’s AI revolution is in limbo after the resignation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. A giant among tech world giants, Huang played an immeasurable role in the global trajectory…
- What's in a jobless claim? · 26 minFirst-time jobless claims — that’s the number of people who filed for unemployment in a given week — are at a 57-year low. Sounds good, right? Sure, except changes to the…
- Inflation just won't quit · 26 minInflation is still running hot, according to the latest CPI report on consumer prices. In October, costs were up 0.4% from the previous month, 0.3% without food or energy…
- The cost of executive blunders · 25 minIt’s a common trope in Big Tech: an iconic CEO, interchangable with the brand itself. Jobs and Apple, Zuckerberg and Meta, Altman and OpenAI. Nvidia is no exception — its leather…
- An optimistic October jobs report · 26 minThe U.S. labor market added 165,000 jobs in October, which was more than expected. An uptick in white-collar hiring was particularly surprising. Sure, unemployment remains stuck…
- Oil companies pump it up · 25 minA bunch of American oil companies announce quarterly earnings this time of year, and they’re doing pretty well. Oil prices are up and crude production hit a record high last…
- A divided government could shift the bond market · 25 minTreasury yields have been climbing over the past year, which affects the cost of all sorts of borrowing, including mortgages. Treasury is a fancy word for government debt — a…
- When it comes to the job market, love the one you're with · 25 minThe September Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey from the BLS is out, and things in this labor market are mostly unchanged, although quits were up a bit. Still, economists…
- Why raise money in euros? · 25 minGoogle’s parent company, Alphabet, is issuing $6.7 billion worth of bonds in Europe. That’s about €6 billion. Meta is reportedly considering a similar move. In this episode, we…
- Spooked investors sink Big Tech stocks · 25 minBig Tech firms saw major stock market slides this week. Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Intel all dropped, following less-than-stellar earnings reports. Cracks are showing…
- GDP growth comes at expense of consumer savings · 26 minFresh data showed the economy grew faster than expected, at a 3.4% annual rate in the third quarter. Prices grew too, by 3.6%. Robust consumer spending tends to drive GDP, but…
- Fed holds rates, but a future hike is pretty inevitable · 25 minFed governors met this week and voted to keep interest rates steady at just below 4%. The central bank says it’s taking a “wait and see” approach to elevated inflation. But what…
- Lower those expectations · 25 minThe housing market is a bit chilly right now — new home sales are down, and so are prices. But current homeowners watched their property values grow over the past several years…
- What's in AI's next chapter? · 25 minA few Big Tech firms are slated to explain their quarterly earnings later this week. AI will, of course, be the protagonist of these earnings calls. Investors are hoping for some…
- Your 401(k) is probably invested in AI · 25 minBig Tech is kind of carrying the stock market right now, thanks to all that spendy artificial intelligence innovation. That means your retirement account is probably invested in…
- High risk, high rates — where's the reward? · 25 minEveryday consumers aren’t the only ones contending with rising borrowing costs. Corporations are also subject to those fluctuations — but the rates don’t rise equally across the…
- Small town economics clash with Big Tech agendas · 25 minIn Crook County, Oregon, just east of the Cascade mountains, data centers sprawl across the high desert landscape. The area fell into economic decline during the Great Recession…
- The loan demand balancing act · 25 minOn Tuesday morning, lenders like KeyCorp, Mercantile Bank, and Atlantic Union Bank turned in their earnings reports. Those types of regional banks make plenty of loans…
- Consumer credit creep · 25 minInflation is affecting all of us. But when costs go up, lower-income households are especially vulnerable to credit creep — that’s when consumers use credit for more and more…
- A view of AI, from Mumbai · 26 minIndia’s economy, from one perspective, has a huge leg up on the U.S.: Its workforce is young and growing. “Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal visited Mumbai to learn what that growth…
- Where producer prices go, consumer prices are likely follow · 26 minOn Thursday, we got to see the second act of our monthly inflation double feature: the producer price index. Producer prices rose 1.3% in September, which is the largest jump…
- Energyflation? More like everything-flation · 25 minInflation worsened in September, to 3.7% annually, up from 3.4% in August. Energy prices are mostly to blame, but the other slices of the economy are starting to show price…
- Less coverage, more profit · 25 minUnitedHealth Group just reported Q3 earnings: Total revenue was down but profits were up. How’s it possible? A decline in Medicaid enrollment, AI-driven billing tools, and some…
- In India, a demographic golden age dawns · 25 minAs the workforces of the U.S., U.K., and similar wealthy Western nations age, other countries with younger populations grow at a clip. Nowhere is this more true than India, where…
- Surprise, you've got medical bills! · 25 minA 2020 law aimed at eliminating surprise medical expenses has shifted some unpredictable costs away from patients. The law was supposed to incentivize jointly set reasonable…
- Don't move a muscle! · 25 minFirst-time unemployment claims (layoffs, basically) have come in below 200,000 for four weeks running — the longest stretch since 1969. At the same time, the economy only barely…
- How's the stock market doing, minus AI? · 25 minThe S&P 500 has hit more than two dozen record highs this year, and it’s got AI firms to thank. In fact, it’s easy to forget that a lot of other public companies are in a tough…
- We're stocking up · 25 minWe got fresh data showing imports and inventory levels are up. Is it a sign of a strong economy, or a sign businesses are bracing for impact? In this episode, AI remains a major…
- A tale of two deficits · 25 minDespite Trump’s best efforts (a flurry of loosely targeted tariffs), the U.S. trade deficit is widening. But why is it widening? And what does it all have to do with foreign…
- Nike's not just doing it · 26 minIn Nike’s earnings report this week, the brand said it may begin shrinking its operations and laying off workers. It’s been losing market share for a while now. We look at what…
- Inflation held steady in August. Yay? · 26 minThe PCE price index (that's the Fed's preferred measure of inflation) held steady year-over-year in the latest report. Economists expected it to move up. So, why didn't it budge…
- OpenAI is staying private (for now) · 25 minOpenAI just announced it will delay its IPO due to ongoing AI safety concerns. But when you’re a company as big as OpenAI, where does your funding come from? In this episode…
- Consumer confidence slides to 12-year low · 26 minConsumer confidence fell to a 12-year low in September, according to The Conference Board. The index has been trending down for a couple years, but this latest decline was steep…
- Nvidia's record-breaking stock buyback · 25 minApple used to be the leader in buying back shares. Now, Nvidia has broken the tech company’s record, announcing Monday that it would add $150 billion to its stock buyback…
- High interest rates could balloon the national debt · 25 minWhat happens to government debt, the budget deficit, and the overall economy if interest rates stay elevated? For a new report, the Congressional Budget Office crunched the…
- Fed officials speak up on inflation · 25 minAs Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh attempts to limit forward guidance, analysts are zeroed in on other Fed officials’ public comments. Turns out, they’ve got plenty to say…
- Tension grows in the housing market · 26 minBad news first: Mortgage rates are topping 7% and, fittingly, mortgage applications are down. On the bright side, home prices aren’t completely frozen and listings are actually…
- Time for a diesel export ban? · 26 minDiesel costs have nearly doubled over the last year, breaking record highs. In fact, some lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to halt all diesel exports until they…
- The state of U.S.-China trade · 26 minPresident Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, and AI safety is likely to define the agenda. But what about those pesky tariffs? In this episode, we lay…
- Caught in the Canada trade war crossfire · 26 minThe Trump administration has doubled down on its trade war with our neighbors to the North — the U.S. is set to ban the import of several Canadian products, including beer and…
- Home improvement stores feel the pinch · 26 minRetail sales jumped 1.2% in August after falling in July. But building materials stores — think Home Depot or Lowe’s — still saw a dip. That’s because stretched consumers are…
- Bond traders take a turn in the spotlight · 26 minThe yield on 10-year T-notes climbed to its highest point since 2007 on Wednesday, as the Fed raised its key rate for the first time since July 2023. Swirling inflation and…
- Imports are way, way up · 26 minAugust marked the third-highest level of container imports to the U.S. on record. Sure, it’s usually a busy month for holiday shopping inventory, but there’s also that pesky…
- A cast of hawkish central bankers · 26 minAt this week’s FOMC meeting, it’s likely Fed governors will hike interest rates. They won’t be alone. The EU raised rates last week and Japan is expected to do the same at its…
- Inflation trumps wage gains · 26 minThe latest BLS data put real hourly wage gains at -0.3% last month, compared to last year. That’s thanks to inflation running hotter than pay raises. To make up for it, some…
- What's the new normal for global oil? · 26 minOil industry analysts were hopeful earlier this year that Trump’s war in the Middle East would be short-lived. But it’s become clear that an open flow of oil through the Strait…
- The case for healthcare price caps · 25 minHealthcare affordability is top-of-mind for many Americans right now. And for a long time, state legislators’ only avenue for easing that burden was through care subsidies. But…
- Canada taxes back · 26 minCanada levied a range of tariffs on U.S. goods Tuesday, escalating an ongoing trade war launched by President Donald Trump. It isn’t the first time the two countries have tiffed…
- As prices rise, so too does our credit reliance · 26 minPrices are rising faster than average wages in this economy, and many Americans have turned to credit to keep up. They are paying it off for now, but what happens if the Fed…
- Wage growth disappoints · 26 minThis economy added twice the amount of jobs expected in August, which is good news for the labor market. Still, the latest jobs report showed average hourly earnings were up just…
