Marketplace

… usually they’re a dollar, but you get the idea. Today: the economics of happy hour, particularly discounted seafood. But first, let’s take apart that new jobs report.

We talk about the federal government’s jobs report every month. But determining how many Americans are unemployed, how many jobs the economy created and in which sectors is a tricky business. Ahead of tomorrow’s new numbers, we’ll dig into how it all works. Plus: A story from communist China, which turns 70 this week. And who pays to fix federal monuments?

Economists and market watchers have spent the past few months trying to figure out if we’re headed toward, or maybe already in, a recession. But there’s a growing chorus wondering if the U.S. economy is just headed toward a period of slow growth. Today, we dig into what that means. Plus: How Amazon handles counterfeit goods and how couples handle money.

Oct. 1 is the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that means you’ll be seeing pink all over: at NFL games, at charity walks and on virtually any consumer good you could buy. Today, we dig into the economics of awareness. Plus: What’s behind this disappointing year for IPOs and the national debt, explained.

It’s an interesting time in the American capital markets. Specifically, for stocks. The major indexes have been at or near record highs after trending up for more than a decade. But as we’ve said before, and we’ll surely say again: The stock market is not the economy. For today’s installment of “Kai Explains,” we’ll dig into what it is and isn’t. Plus: Why the Trump administration would want to curb American investment in Chinese firms, and how Amazon’s HQ2 could reshape Arlington, Virginia’s economy.

We say it over and over: Keep an eye on the bond market. But it can be hard to know what the “10-year T-note” even is, much less what it tells us about the economy. So in today’s installment of our new series “Kai Explains,” we’re going to dig into bonds. Plus: Saudi Arabia opens up to tourists, and a conversation with Rakim.

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau says inequality is the highest it’s been since the measure began in the 1960s. Today, we dig into why. Plus: Health care spending is breaking records, too, and consumer confidence, explained.

Home fitness company Peloton is expected to go public tomorrow. It’ll be the latest in a series of high-profile tech IPOs, some of which haven’t gone so smoothly. Today, we’ll look at how companies are valued, how that process has changed and why markets haven’t quiet caught up. Plus: What a no-deal Brexit would do to Europe and what’s next for embattled e-cigarette maker Juul.

Americans owe $13.86 trillion in household debt. That’s slightly higher than the total amount right before the 2008 financial crisis, and it’s rising. Today, we’re gonna dig into debt a bit: Who owes whom, what it does to the economy and what we can do about it. Plus: What you need to know about new overtime rules, and, inspired by Greta Thunberg, what we talk about when we talk about “economic growth.”

Some might think that the best part of a taco is what’s inside. But Rick Ortega and Omar Ahmed, founders of Kernel of Truth Organics, disagree. They’re champions of soft corn tortillas and pride themselves on being the only known tortilleria in Los Angeles using certified organic corn. Plus: Americans are saving more money, and farmers aren’t keen on being bailed out.