Marketplace All-in-One

Big 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 at least some AI stocks. So we asked an expert: If the theoretical AI bubble pops, will those 401(k)s be OK? Also in this episode: New data shows healthy growth in the private sector, Kai goes over the week’s economic headlines ahead of another Fed rate decision, and we visit a cyber-scam compound in Cambodia.

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:

• Treasury yields, tech stocks, and consumer sentiment all took a slide this week
• Inside a Cambodian cyber scam compound
• There's reason to believe the private sector economy is actually doing pretty well
• Got a 401(k)? There's a good chance it's invested in AI

This morning, as part of our Economic Pulse series, we continue our conversation with Robyn Vincent, host and producer of WDET’s “The Metro” in Detroit. We dig into how data centers have become a flashpoint for Michigan voters ahead of the midterm elections, as well as how rising utility bills are coming up on the campaign trail. But first, corporate earnings seem to be holding up despite all the economic uncertainty.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report 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.

Stories from this podcast:

• From tariffs to data centers, Michigan's big economic stories

If you are in the majority of people under 65 who get health insurance through an employer, you’ve probably noticed it’s getting more expensive. It’s not just monthly premiums that are rising; many employers are also raising co-pays and deductibles. This morning, we do the numbers on employer-sponsored healthcare coverage. Then, we hear from WDET's Robyn Vincent about how tariffs and trade policy are impacting Michigan's economy.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report 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 from this episode:

• Open enrollment is here and the cost of employer health plans is going up — again
• From tariffs to data centers, Michigan's big economic stories

Apple's long-awaited iPhone Duo launched this week, and everyone has the same question: can you see a crease? Joanna Stern, founder of media company New Things, has been putting it to the test for her newsletter. She's tried apps, phone calls, cameras. But, she really wanted to know if the much-hyped folding phone would stand the test of time. She hired a hardware designer to build a machine that opened and closed the iPhone Duo over and over while she slept — more than 32,000 times. Stern joins joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino on this week’s “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Plus, Elon Musk says there could be a merger between SpaceX and Tesla. And, recent court documents reveal internal warnings about child safety issues were ignored by TikTok executives.

More on this:

“iPhone Duo Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Buggy” from New Things

“Apple announces product launch event for Oct. 28. Analysts expect touchscreen laptop” from CNBC

“SpaceX and Tesla Are Already Joined at the Hip. What a Formal Merger Would Mean.” from The Wall Street Journal

“Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine” from The Wall Street Journal

“TikTok staff raised child safety concerns, but executives reportedly failed to act” from TechCrunch

Everyday 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 board. In this episode, why companies with the corporate equivalent of low credit scores are seeing extra-high borrowing costs right now. Also in this episode: Rising crude oil prices spell trouble for sustained inflation, P&G raises sales with “innovation-based pricing,” and independent mechanics struggle to repair newer tech-integrated cars.

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:

• How rising crude oil prices could impact the U.S. and global economy
• "Innovation-based pricing": new versions of old products at higher prices
• Rising rates are stressing out the riskiest companies
• This CPA quit, then did one fun thing every day of her job hunt
• Has the recipe for Reese's changed? It depends on how you define 'change'
• Independent garages juggle mechanic shortage and computerized autos

Meta reported earnings yesterday. Revenue was up 26% year over year, but costs rose 68%. This is the kind of thing that has some investors in the tech space a little nervous; while demand for AI and tech is doing just fine, the cost of investing in it has gone up. We discuss. Plus, as the weather turns colder, Northeast residents who use heating oil are facing much higher costs.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report 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.

Stories from this podcast:

• Heating oil prices are up 70%, just as Northeast residents fill up for winter

Farmers in the U.S. are looking for ways to save money and stay afloat. They have not been able to catch a break in the past few years — between tariff retaliation, still-climbing fertilizer prices, and record-high diesel prices. One option to boost revenue for struggling farmers: biofuel crops, which can be turned into diesel. But first, is your car underwater? If so, you're not alone.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace Morning Report 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 from this podcast:

• Nearly a third of car buyers who trade in a financed vehicle are underwater
• Biofuel crops stand to boost farmers’ revenue amid ever-rising input costs

At Alaska News, you can find stories about the new summer sales tax rate in Juneau, a man ticketed for killing a bull moose out of season and about 20 other hyperlocal items a day.

Much of the coverage is generated by an AI agent called Walter, as in Cronkite, the famous newsman.

Nathaniel Herz, a human executive editor at the local alt weekly the Anchorage Press, wanted to learn more. So, he asked for an interview.

More on this:

This AI agent has written thousands of Alaska news articles. We interviewed it. — Anchorage Press

Entravision Introduces an AI Latina News Anchor—and Sparks Debate — HipLatina

KSAT's new afternoon show won’t have traditional anchors. What we know — My San Antonio

After 78 Years on Air, This Baltimore TV Station Cut Its Anchors. What Replaced Them Has Critics Worried — Inc

For many adult children of immigrants, success comes with pressure to give back. This week, Reema asks, what do we owe our families, and how do we care for the people we love without losing ourselves in the process?

She talks with fellow first-gen kids — financial educator Gigi Gonzalez and financial therapist Sahaj Kaur Kohli — about reframing responsibility, setting healthy boundaries without guilt and navigating the line between generosity and obligation.

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In 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 and some residents welcomed investment by Meta and Apple in the form of massive data center complexes. But 15 years on, was it worth it? In this episode, what happens when data centers come to town. Plus, mergers and spinoffs: Abbott plans to turn its baby formula operation into a standalone company, and Elon Musk explores a plan to combine Tesla and SpaceX.

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:

• Data centers boosted one Oregon town's economy, but some residents have had enough
• Abbott Laboratories announces a baby formula spinoff company
• Elon Musk wants to merge SpaceX and Tesla
• If “demographics are destiny,” what’s in store for the U.S. economy?