Marketplace

Last year was hard on cryptocurrency, with scandals and plummeting prices rocking the industry. Those losses were particularly keen for Black Americans, who are more likely to get into crypto than their white peers. Today, we’ll explore how targeted marketing and exclusion from traditional investment opportunities helped boost crypto’s appeal for Black investors. Also, the major takeaways from today’s strong jobs report and its impact on bond yields.

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Last week, office occupancy rates in major cities hit a milestone, reaching half of their pre-pandemic levels. While most places feel just as crowded as they did before, offices are an exception. Today, a closer look at the sluggish return to office buildings. Plus, the house behind the pitchfork in “American Gothic” and how homebuyers are feeling about higher mortgage rates.

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Many CEOs and economists anticipate a recession this year. But their predictions, based on economic data and historical trends, are part art and part science. Today, we’ll dig into how those forecasts are made. Plus, why inflation varies depending on where you live, how business owners in China feel about reopening and how lawmakers’ pay, or lack thereof, influences who serves in government.

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Today, the White House announced a slew of actions aimed at helping renters. Though we’ve seen recent glimmers of a cooling rent market, the national median has shot up more than 20% since 2020. So how do landlords set rents in the first place? We explore. Then, we’ll examine the limitations of the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure and visit an irreverent beverage company making canned water cool.

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After being fueled by a surge in pandemic demand, the manufacturing sector is showing signs of cooling off. Production and hiring in the industry slowed toward the end of last year. Today, we’ll take a look at what’s driving the manufacturing decline. Plus, why copper prices are rising, how commercial lending is faring amid high interest rates and where the streaming economy is going.

Immigration to the U.S. dropped dramatically in recent years as a result of the pandemic and policy at the border. That immigration slowdown translates into lost workers, and that workforce shortage has contributed to inflation. On today’s show, we look at why immigration is a labor story. Plus, unpacking the debt limit and the Fed’s messaging in the Weekly Wrap and revisiting the affordable housing crisis.

It’s a question that the Federal Reserve’s board of governors is weighing. Backing off too soon means prices could keep rising, but continuing to raise interest rates aggressively could spawn a recession. Today, how the Fed is thinking about its next move. Also on the program: the debt ceiling’s origins, esports’ business struggles, and why Party City filed for bankruptcy.

Consumers are expected to spend more cautiously in the year ahead as they contend with rising prices and a potential looming recession. Today, a look at where shoppers are willing to put their money and how businesses are adapting to a changing consumer climate. Plus, three real estate agents reflect on the cooling housing market, and an economist argues inflation isn’t as bad as it seems.

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 after speaking with striking sanitation workers. Since then, union activity had waned — until recently. On today’s show, we explain why. Also: The rich got richer during the pandemic, and authentic Native designs take on knockoffs.

It’s inflation day here at Marketplace HQ, and we’re taking stock of the latest consumer price index. We start with the big picture and look at how the pace of rising prices slowed in December. Then, we’ll get into the granular details of inflation, from housing costs to the price of cookies. Plus, how Black farmers are planting seeds for the next generation and how consumers in China are spending after zero-COVID.