Marketplace All-in-One

From the BBC World Service: Why exactly were Evergrande shares suspended in Hong Kong? Plus, Turkey’s inflation has surged by the most in two decades, with many shop workers having to price and re-price products on shelves over and over again. And, Lebanon’s economic challenges ahead of scheduled elections later this year.

New technology has shaped so much of the last year, including advancements in biotech and better software helped many of us work and learn from home more efficiently. So what’s ahead for tech in 2022? Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams speaks with Amy Webb, a futurist and founder of the Future Today Institute. Webb says 2021 gave us a lot of signals about what’s coming next.

Even if it may not feel like it amid spiking COVID-19 cases, we are in a very different world — and economy — than the one we were in a year ago. Today, we’re taking a look back at 12 months of inflation, supply chain headaches and child care issues. We’ll also look at what interest rates and consumer spending might be like as we continue to redefine “going back to normal” in 2022. Plus: an argument for ethical AI, examining a piece of “must-pass” legislation and the reflections of a parade organizer.

Time is running out to make a gift to Marketplace in 2021. Don’t delay!

Travel woes continue for anyone trying to fly, as cancellations have reached seven days straight with more on the way. That’s not all – the FAA also says there could be a shortage of air traffic controllers. Christopher Low joins up for a recap of the economic year. High home prices are pushing out many first-time homebuyers, which is leading to more high-earning renters. After nearly a year since Brexit, the BBC talks to businesses in the Netherlands for perspective on what it’s like to do business with the U.K. now.

When the pandemic emerged in 2020, it led to a down year for every kind of industry – even confetti sales. However, 2021 brought more reasons for people to get out and celebrate, which will culminate with 3,000 pounds of confetti being dropped on thousands of people in Times Square to ring in the new year. Massive gatherings have been scaled back, but some retailers have witnessed a confetti resurgence. Concerns about the omicron variant have hobbled plans for New Year’s celebrations at bars and eateries. A jury in New York has found Teva Pharmaceuticals responsible for contributing to the deadly opioid addiction epidemic in the U.S.

Early in the pandemic, Sidewalk Labs — an offshoot of Google — announced it was shutting down a big project in Toronto called Quayside. It was meant to be a testing ground for smart-city concepts, a hyperconnected neighborhood from the ground up, with things like an underground network of package-delivery robots. But even before the pandemic, it ran into the same problems that have dogged smart-city projects around the world. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino speaks with Shannon Mattern, who focuses on this topic in her new book, “A City Is Not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences.” Mattern said optimizing cities for connectivity often means giving up privacy.

This episode originally aired August 23, 2021.

From the BBC World Service: As we count down to 2022, many of us will be watching a movie or TV show. Demand for content has boomed during the pandemic and the British creative industry has benefited. Spending on U.K. film and TV productions hit a record as streaming giants Netflix, Amazon and HBO spend billions on new content. It’s been 20 years since Harry Potter hit the silver screen and the franchise has been churning out magical profits ever since.

In late November, commissioners in Montgomery County — located north of Houston — voted to return $7 million in unused federal rent relief. But some renters there are still facing eviction, and many have found it difficult to access county- and state-level COVID relief funds. As the federal government works to reallocate rent relief, we pay a visit to Montgomery County to see how officials, activists and renters are responding. But first, a look at what 2022 might bring for the job market, how restaurants and bars are planning for a second New Year’s Eve with COVID and why a big-ticket bailout for the U.K.’s hospitality industry still might only be a drop in the bucket.

Jobless claims dropped to just under 200,000 last week according to data from the Labor Department. This is happening despite a surge in COVID cases, and Diane Swonk helps provide some context during our discussion about the markets. A new law that goes into effect Jan. 1 in California could alter how companies like Amazon use data to manage workers in warehouses. We take a look at the general health of the U.S. job market. And, we speak to the leader of the flight attendants union about the labor movement and the working conditions flight attendants face.

Flight attendants have played a critical role during every flight during the holiday travel season and beyond, especially in the era of the pandemic. We spoke with Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, for more on what flight attendants are facing and how it factors into the larger labor movement. The FDA has granted emergency use authorization for new at-home COVID test kits from two different companies. The tests should be available starting next month.