Marketplace All-in-One

Today we’re getting caught up on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Putin’s announced he’ll draft 300,000 Russian reservists to fight in that conflict. Is this the moment we look back on as the moment he overreached? Then, the Food and Drug Administration issued new guidance on some drugs used to reverse opioid overdoses that would make the life-saving drugs more accessible. Also, we got an update from listeners about our SodaStream/beer query!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Around this time of year, companies begin hiring seasonal workers. Yet some large companies are planning on fewer hires. Despite a tight labor market, companies are uncertain whether consumer spending will remain strong through the holidays and are anxious about a recession. Plus, the Bank of Japan tries to prop up the yen, school districts call for cybersecurity funding and U.S. oil reserves reach a four-decade low.

Executives from the nation’s largest banks are testifying before the Senate. We look at how the state of the housing market affects the home-flipping industry. The BBC checks out the effects of China’s zero-COVID approach on its economy.

We check in on the Federal Reserve following the interest rate rise. Melinda Gates tells us the world needs to check itself when it comes to some big goals.

From the BBC World Service: The Japanese government is snapping up its own currency for the first time in decades in a bid to stop the yen tumbling past 24-year lows. Elsewhere in Japan, Honda says it will continue to restrict production into a second month in October as it struggles with supply chain issues. And Beijing’s ongoing zero-COVID strategy comes up against local resistance in China.

When Hurricane Fiona recently hit Puerto Rico, the storm brought wind, water and major flooding to the island. Local authorities are still assessing the damage, but so far we know that some people died, others lost their homes and just about everyone lost electricity. Unfortunately, we’ve been here before. After Hurricane Maria in 2017, billions of federal dollars went to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with Julio López Varona, co-chief of campaigns at the advocacy group Center for Popular Democracy, about whether that technology investment did anything.

The Federal Reserve continued its interest-rate-raising spree today to help curb inflation. The other thing the Fed has been working on is unwinding its “quantitative easing” program. One listener wants to know how that works. We’ll explain. Plus, why can members of Congress buy and sell stocks so freely? Isn’t that a conflict of interest? We’re wondering the same thing.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Keep sending your questions. We’re at [email protected] or leave us a voice memo at 508-U-B-SMART.

That is how Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell characterized price stability while discussing the central bank’s interest rate hike Wednesday. The move pushes its benchmark rate to 3% or higher from zero in just six months. Today, we’ll explain what the Fed will be looking for to show that inflation is under control. Plus, what corporate layoffs tell us about the economy and how Germany is responding to its energy crisis.

The Fed announces its plan for interest rates today, and it’s widely expected to raise them. We discuss many things inflation with David Kelly of J.P. Morgan. Oil and gas prices spiked this morning on the heels of Vladimir Putin’s announcement to mobilize reservists for the war in Ukraine.

The Federal Reserve is set to announce its latest move on interest rates today. While inflation is a global problem, we look at how the Fed ends up determining how the world fights it. An attorney helps us dive into the machinations surrounding the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Google.