Marketplace All-in-One

The act, instituted in 1972, turns 50 today. We measure its impact thus far. Stifel Financial’s Lindsey Piegza helps dish out some market perspective. Then, we dive more into the difficult job landscape that awaits people who’ve been incarcerated.

First, the U.S. plans to sell more oil to help dial back gas prices. Then, a Miami-based realtor opens up about his struggles finding employment after doing time in prison.

From the BBC World Service: Natural gas prices have spiked since the Kremlin limited supplies to European Union countries. The European Commission is outlining measures to try and control high energy prices. Plus, China delays publishing key economic data during the Communist Party Congress. And, why a city in Uganda has banned women from sitting in the front cabin of trucks.

In a world where so many of our tools and gadgets — security cameras, watches, refrigerators — are connected to the internet, shoring up cybersecurity is a collective effort. That’s why the Biden administration is proposing a labeling system for consumer products, sort of like a nutrition label. But instead of calories and fat, the label would tell you how secure that smart device is. This week the White House is gathering representatives from the cybersecurity sector, consumer product groups and manufacturers to get input on how to design such a label. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Jean Camp, a professor of informatics at Indiana University about why providing consumers this type of information is increasingly important as the Internet of Things continues to expand.

There’s a lot that determines the cost of housing. And it goes beyond market forces like supply and demand. Kimberly Adams and guest host Janet Nguyen talk about the unexpected ingredients that are playing a role in housing prices and how they affect where people get to live. Plus, now that Fat Bear Week is over, meet the world’s chunkiest parrot!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

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The Department of Education recently opened its application for student loan forgiveness. With over 40 million people eligible for debt relief, it’s the largest operation of its kind in the department’s history. Today, we take a look at the logistics, hurdles and stakes for the federal government. Plus, a pricier holiday shopping season, a flawed economic indicator and a boost in accessibility for hearing aids.

For those who asked for a six-month extension on filing 2021 tax returns, today’s the deadline. Julia Coronado discusses market activity with us. It’s costing more and more to stay in a hotel these days.

We break down some of the significance of the national congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which is underway. Our latest subject for Econ Extra Credit got us thinking about the concept of classic, bottom-to-the-top upward mobility in corporations.

From the BBC World Service: Days into his new job, the new U.K. finance minister Jeremy Hunt hopes to appease volatile markets, unsettled by his predecessors plan for tax cuts. Plus, the United Nations Children’s Agency says the war and rising inflation have pushed 4 million children into poverty across eastern Europe and central Asia. And, the female farmers in Sierra Leone who are transforming swamp land to grow rice.

They seem to be everywhere now. Smart doorbells like Amazon’s Ring are catching porch pirates in the act and revealing nocturnal animal hijinks. But they’re also constantly monitoring delivery drivers who essentially work on our doorsteps. A new report from the nonprofit research group Data & Society explores how this “doorbell surveillance” is affecting delivery drivers. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino speaks with Aiha Nguyen, program director for Data & Society’s Labor Futures Initiative, on how the proliferation of these cameras is influencing delivery jobs that are increasingly being done by gig workers with few protections.