Marketplace All-in-One

The savings rate has plummeted since the height of the pandemic as Americans grapple with rising costs. Thing is, that pandemic stockpile of cash — when coupled with janky supply chains — helped fuel inflation in the first place. Today we dig into that relationship. Plus, another crypto winter, the state of Gen Z’s finances and the connection between unfilled jobs and unemployment.

For days now, we’ve been talking about something that happened 17 months ago, the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Congressional hearings into the events of that day started last week. The details can feel removed from the day-to-day economic struggles of the average American, but they are crucial.

The Jan. 6 committee wants Americans to “understand that not only what happened was bad, it’s ongoing. This is still a threat to the country, is still a threat to democracy. And that if you do care about the economy, you need to make sure that we have a functioning government to confront those problems in the future too,” said Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter at Politico.

On the show today, we’re talking about the aftermath of Jan. 6, what may come after the hearings and why this is important for the stability of our democracy and our economy.

Later, we’ll discuss the rising tide of white nationalism and extremism after the arrests of dozens of people who police say were plotting to attack an LGBTQ pride event in Idaho. Also, crypto winter is here! Are the layoffs at Coinbase the first of many?

Plus, listeners weigh in on the housing market and Taco Bell ditching dine-in service. Then, we end the show with a fatherly answer to the “Make Me Smart” question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Join us tomorrow for Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday. If you’ve got a question you’d like our hosts to answer, send it our way. We’re at [email protected] and (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.

Music industry veteran Merck Mercuriadis founded Hipgnosis Songs Fund, a company investing in music intellectual property, in 2018. It recently purchased the song catalog of Justin Timberlake and has a stable of other artists’ music. Mercuriadis explains the concept of treating songs as an asset class in today’s Economic Pulse discussion. The Fed has a full plate as it enters the first of two days of policy meetings.

Wall Street is looking to recover from heavy losses the last three days. On Monday, the benchmark S&P 500 index fell nearly 4% and entered what investors call a bear market. The BBC’s Victoria Craig checks in with the current status of the markets globally, while Marketplace’s Nova Safo helps us look into what teachable moments past bear markets could offer. We can now count tampons among the many items that are in short supply because of the issues gumming up the supply chain.

From the BBC World Service: Sri Lanka asks most state employees to take a long weekend for the next three months – and grow food in their spare time. Australia warns people to brace for an electricity shortage during an unusually cold winter. And The Gambia’s mostly female oyster harvesters are seeing their livelihood affected by a changing climate.

Calling all Bazillionaires! “Million Bazillion” is back with a brand-new season starting June 21! Bridget has a new co-host named Ryan, and together they’re taking on the toughest money questions your kids can think of. Questions like: How do credit cards work? What do grown-ups do with all of their money? How do social media influencers make money? And what the heck is a cryptocurrency anyway?

We’re back helping dollars make more sense every Tuesday starting June 21. Here’s a sneak peek!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that up to 23 million Americans have been affected by long COVID. That term describes a wide variety of conditions, from brain fog and chronic fatigue to neurological problems and blood clots, that persist for months or even years after infection. But clear answers about exactly how often this happens, who’s most at risk and why, are still elusive. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino speaks with Emily Pfaff of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who uses artificial intelligence to analyze electronic health records, looking for patterns that might better identify the syndrome and treat patients.

It’s Day 2 of the Jan. 6 hearings, and we’re learning more about the money involved in perpetuating false election claims. On Monday, the panel said the Trump campaign raised $250 million from donors who believed their money was going to investigate potential voter fraud. “The big lie was also a big rip-off,” Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California said. We’ll explain where the money really went. Plus, the markets are getting clobbered. How should the Federal Reserve react? And a fun fact we learned that’ll impress your friends the next time you pop champagne. Cheers!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Got a question or comment for us? Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voice message at (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.

The economic word of the day is … “ouch.” The S&P 500 entered bear market territory as the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed almost 900 points. Meanwhile, inflation remains at a 40-year high while consumer sentiment is in the toilet. On today’s program, we’ll dig into recessionary fears and rate hike expectations ahead of tomorrow’s Federal Reserve meeting. We’ll also unpack the new bipartisan gun control framework and preview a post-inflation economy.

A bipartisan group of senators announced a framework for a gun control deal over the weekend. We take a quick look at how that deal could impact the buying of firearms. The markets are down today, and Julia Coronado is here to walk us through some of factors behind that. We check in with Williams College in Massachusetts, which is doing away with loans and work requirements for students on financial aid.