Marketplace

The economy seems full of contradictions right now. The threat of a recession looms and inflation is rampant, but consumers are still spending. Economists often look to history when making predictions, but the past offers little guidance to make sense of our current economic moment. Plus, the challenges of moving to more storm-resilient infrastructure and the toll of rising energy costs on U.K. businesses.

Last year, dozens of container ships waited off the Californian coast — some for weeks — to  dock and unload all the goods consumers were demanding. But those backlogs have eased substantially. Today, we’ll take a trip to the Marine Exchange of Southern California to hear what’s changed since and what hasn’t. Plus, why jobless claims are dipping and what Hurricane Ian means for Florida’s fragile insurance industry.

The U.S. dollar has been appreciating this year as investors take advantage of climbing interest rates. But the value of the dollar is forcing economies around the globe to pay the price. Today, we’ll delve into how a strong dollar is affecting imports, exports and the debts of foreign countries. Plus, the Bank of England makes a drastic move, and Hurricane Ian highlights power grid resilience.

Plenty of folks who began working from home during the pandemic are still there. Today, we’ll take a look at how much that WFH reality may be pushing up housing costs and what it means for the Federal Reserve’s inflation fight. Plus, how portfolio dips affect your spending, how women’s colleges are responding to financial pressures and what Gallup’s CEO thinks about happiness and work.

That is how Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell characterized price stability while discussing the central bank’s interest rate hike Wednesday. The move pushes its benchmark rate to 3% or higher from zero in just six months. Today, we’ll explain what the Fed will be looking for to show that inflation is under control. Plus, what corporate layoffs tell us about the economy and how Germany is responding to its energy crisis.

The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates yet again next week as it looks to double down on inflation. Even with all the rate hikes, interest rates on savings accounts are still lagging. Today, we’ll explore how supply and demand play a role. Plus, a data deep dive in the Weekly Wrap, an anticipated shipping downturn and a costly cleanup for the San Francisco Bay.

Last year, the IRS only answered about 1 in 10 taxpayer calls, and the average wait time was 30 minutes. Thanks to new funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the agency is set to hire 5,000 new customer service agents. On today’s show, we’ll look at why that hiring spree is easier said than done. Plus, retail sales send mixed signals, ethereum gets a major update, and Arizona juggles population growth with a limited water supply.

Almost everything became more expensive in August. We’ll discuss key items in the consumer price index and look at one number that dropped — the Census Bureau’s measure of child poverty rates. Plus, the U.S. enters a sorta trade agreement, a real estate agent talks housing market trends and researchers analyze plants to forecast wildfires.

Queen Elizabeth II was a symbol of stability for many, and her death comes at a turbulent time for the United Kingdom. Marketplace’s London bureau chief tells us about the mood of the country amid decades-high inflation and a transfer of power at 10 Downing Street. Plus, the strong dollar weighs down foreign economies and the European Central Bank unleashes an aggressive rate hike.

Amid an inventory glut and flagging profits, Target said its 63-year-old CEO will stay on for three more years, even though he was mandated to retire in two. The retailer joins a growing list of companies to nix age limits in the C-suite. Today, we’ll dig into why the rule exists but is falling out of fashion. Plus, an equal pay win for the U.S. women’s soccer team and a TikToker who makes monetary policy fun.