Marketplace

Fuel hasn’t been touched in the trade clash between the U.S. and Canada (yet). It’s probably because the countries have an interdependent energy relationship — American refineries rely on Canadian crude; 90% of Canadian crude exports go to the U.S. But as tensions escalate, we started to wonder: Is Canada looking for alternative buyers? Also in this episode: Imported Mexican cattle could temporarily ease beef prices, Walmart bucks inflation trend by announcing grocery price cuts, and suburbia embraces factory-built homes.

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Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• The U.S.-Canada trade fight has not touched oil ... yet
• While grocery costs rise, Walmart announces price cuts
• Manufactured housing, coming to a suburb near you
• Will importing beef help bring down prices?
• The behavioral economics of drought management

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at least 1.8 million Americans have been actively looking for a fulltime job for more than 27 weeks. That’s over six months. In this episode, two people tell us what it’s like to navigate a never-ending job search. Plus: A surge in lone star ticks threatens the cattle industry, McDonald’s keeps huge amounts of data on frequent customers, and the national debt passes that $40 trillion threshold.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• The national debt hits $40 trillion
• Ticks increasingly threaten the health and livelihood of ranchers
• An Alabama cattle farm with a bird-tourism side hustle
• “Put me in, coach”: Navigating long-term unemployment in the low-hire economy
• How the McDonald's mobile app compiled 515-page dossier on one reporter

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s buyback of long-term bonds was a bit of a letdown this week — the interest rates barely budged. The Treasury’s next move in its quest to rein in the national debt will be to issue a ton more short-term securities. But that might not be such a good idea, either. In this episode, we’ll catch you up on the bond market turmoil. Plus: Multifamily construction permits are a housing bright spot, the Fed’s favorite inflation measure is due for a methodology change, and two craft-focused small business owners share the view from their economy.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• "Buying a house with a credit card": The Treasury's plan to finance the national debt
• The Fed's preferred measure of inflation is changing
• As central bank bigwigs gather in Jackson Hole, local businesses carry on
• Builders bet on multifamily housing — but only in certain places

The price of imported goods, sans energy, was up 4.5% year-over-year in July. Data center buildout is driving that jump — imported computer prices were up 17%. In this episode, we explain why import price inflation is distinct from regular inflation and what that leap means for Fed rate-setting. Plus: U.S. oil firms ink deals with Venezuelan producers, the Treasury excecutes on major bond buybacks, and Kai meets a duo trying to turn Hollywood upside-down — or, at least, vertical.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• What happens when import prices skyrocket? More inflation, of course
• U.S. oil companies ink production deals with Venezuela
• Microdramas get the "Hollywood treatment" at this new studio

Cattle herds are at a national low not seen since the 1950s. That’s driving up the price of beef for consumers, but it’s also affecting the companies that process cows into steaks and burgers. In this episode, why meatpacking plants are shuttering. Plus: Home Depot stays afloat despite a “frozen” housing market, retailers prepare to release quarterly earnings, and interior design is stuck in a “color recession.”

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• Here's why Home Depot calls housing market "frozen"
• Retailers should be doing well, despite consumer challenges
• Despite a slow alcohol retail market, this Wyoming distillery is expanding
• Meatpacking plants close as U.S. cattle herds shrink to a nearly 75-year low
• Is the greige wave here to stay?

Consumer spending fell in early August, according to preliminary results from the University of Michigan’s survey. July retail sales were down, and the average price of gas is nearing a record high for August. In today’s episode, we look at how consumers could be cutting discretionary spending as a result. Also, we’ll look at why China’s economy may be in trouble, the value of GDP as a statistic, fake business registrations in Colorado, Reddit joining the S&P 500, and the global plastics industry.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• Is the consumer engine of the economy starting to slow down?
• Is China's economy in trouble?
• Why we still use GDP to measure economic growth
• Getting weird mail? In Colorado, it could be business fraud
• Popular online forum Reddit is joining the S&P 500
• Middle East conflict raises U.S. plastic industry's sinking ship

In the Commerce Department’s retail sales report for July, sales at stores of all kinds were down 0.6%, when a modest increase in sales had been expected. Though some discretionary purchases are up, consumers are certainly tightening their belts. Also in this episode, we look at the decline of Etsy, how businesses near the Canadian border are dealing with fewer visitors, and the staying power of Candy Crush.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• Inflation dipped slightly in July, but remains above Fed's target
• Retail sales dropped sharply in July as consumers tighten spending
• The AI slop-ification of Etsy
• Fewer Canadian shoppers leave border businesses struggling
• The incredible staying power of Candy Crush Saga

The government is selling 30-year bonds with interest rates at a quarter-century high. We talk with Greg Ip at the Wall Street Journal about how that could be a warning from investors over stubborn inflation and mounting debt. Also in this episode, we look at how energy prices shape the Producer Price Index, rising prices for retailers, and coal slipping as an energy source, before diving into infrastructure with a look at Puerto Rico’s water crisis and solar panel installation in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• Inflation cools for producers in July
• How small business owners are dealing with rising costs
• Coal still behind natural gas, renewables in electricity production
• How one restaurant is navigating Puerto Rico’s water crisis
• Free solar panels and home batteries? Ann Arbor's trying it out

The average household’s buying power has slipped by about 0.1%, when the latest CPI report is compared to last week’s jobs numbers. In layman’s terms, Americans took a pay cut over the last year. But economists aren’t so clear on what comes next. In this episode, we’re on the inflation-outpacing-wages beat. Plus: Drivers brace for continued high gas prices, fractional homeownership startups present tradeoffs in this squeezed housing market, and we break down some lesser-known economic indicators.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories from this episode:

• Inflation has slowed, but wage growth hasn't caught up
• Refined oil prices face more pressure than crude, and consumers will pay the price
• To understand how war impacts financial markets, look to the past
• What you should know about fractional homeownership

Credit card delinquencies are sitting at 13% so far this year. It’s the highest national rate since the tail-end of the Great Recession. The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, including high inflation and job uncertainty, is partially to blame. Also in this episode: Home equity lines of credit become more popular as traditional borrowing rates climb, small business owners are cautious but optimistic — and trying to hire — and Kyla Scanlon explains economic nihilism.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

• Younger consumers are turning to "little treats" in the face of economic nihilism
• Why lines of credit have become a preferred piggy bank for homeowners
• Credit card delinquencies approach Great Recession levels
• China is shaping the technology of the future. Where does that leave the U.S.?
• Small business owners are feeling uncertain but optimistic