Marketplace

Federal Reserve policymakers met this week and announced they’re cutting interest rates by half a percentage point. That’s meant to buoy the economy, but getting the public to understand why rates have been high, and why now’s the time to cut, is tricky. In this episode, experts weigh in on Chair Jerome Powell’s communication prowess. Plus, Gen Zers feel the pain of a tight job market combined with high prices, and we travel back in time to a Fed rate cut in 2019.

Annual inflation, according to the consumer price index, fell to a multiyear low in August. That’s great, but we’re still half a percentage point away from the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. What’s holding up prices? Also in this episode: Campbell’s wants us to know it sells more than soup, recession alarm bells are ringing — but maybe not for the reason you think — and will companies that already collect our data please stop sending us surveys?

Since 1970, Amtrak has run U.S. passenger rail service and — per a formal agreement with private railroad companies — those passenger trains get preference over cargo carriers on the tracks. But now, the Department of Justice says freight companies are breaking the rules. Also in this episode, more moving: New pipelines carry excess natural gas out of Permian Basin fields, programs that help families move into affordable housing assist with repairs too, and farmers pressure Congress to budge on the delayed farm bill.

When the August consumer price index is released Wednesday, it’ll be the final major inflation report before the Federal Reserve’s policymakers meet next week, when they’re expected to cut interest rates. But how important is the CPI as a gut check this time around? Also in this episode, backup generators are too expensive for many older Texans who need them most, China makes electric vehicles that seem impossibly cheap, and U.S. leaders show interest in a sovereign wealth fund.

The Inflation Reduction Act set aside $369 billion to invest in climate change programs and energy security two years ago. So far, when it comes to the percentage of IRA dollars claimed by state, Nevada ranks No. 1. In fact, the states that spent the most per capita last year aren’t Democratic strongholds either. In this episode, why Republican governors are leaning into clean energy. We’ll also hear from three “Marketplace” regulars about their jobs in the “analog” age, and dig into the August jobs report.

As the presidential race heats up, we’re sure to hear more about immigrants and how they affect the U.S. economy. In this episode, we break down immigration’s impact on housing, tax revenue, consumer spending and the labor market. Plus, 8 million student loan borrowers are in limbo while President Joe Biden’s SAVE plan is challenged in court. Also: Lots of small businesses can’t afford to hire, and energy storage batteries may be coming to an electric grid near you.

Nearly a quarter of overweight or obese adults in the U.S. have taken a GLP-1 — a class of weight loss drugs that includes Ozempic. But in some states, Medicaid doesn’t cover GLP-1s, though low-income Americans are more likely to be overweight or obese. In this episode: Who can access or afford this new medicine? Plus, striking hotel workers want higher pay and a return to pre-pandemic norms, the Federal Trade Commission is making it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions, and the manufacturing sector is in a rut.

New data shows that while consumer spending is strong, Americans aren’t saving like they used to. But the pandemic made year-to-year comparisons a bit misleading. So are consumer habits normalizing after an unusual economic period, or should we be concerned that savings have taken a dip? Also in this episode: Some businesses prefer to operate on a “fiscal” calendar, public swimming pools try to stay afloat and corporate tax changes may be important in this year’s election.

Why is the U.S. dollar losing steam? The short version: Falling demand for the currency drags its value down. Since the Federal Reserve is likely to cut interest rates soon, investors aren’t racing to buy U.S. bonds. And you need U.S. dollars to buy U.S. bonds … you get the picture. In this episode, more on currency fluctuations — and why the dollar losing value isn’t all bad. Plus: Businesses investing in themselves drove up second-quarter GDP, China has a burgeoning black market for Nvidia semiconductors and human bodies make great compost.

What if every American household and business had access to high-speed internet? That’s what the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, a federally funded project, aims to accomplish. As part of our “Breaking Ground” series, we visit a town in Kentucky that’s had universal fiber-optic internet connections since 2014, thanks to a cable utilities cooperative and Great Recession-era stimulus funding. Could McKee be a model for what the U.S. might look like if the BEAD program achieves its goal?