Marketplace
926 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 7.7K ratingsEvery weekday, host Kai Ryssdal helps you make sense of the day’s business and economic news — no econ degree or finance background required. “Marketplace” takes you beyond the numbers, bringing you context. Our team of reporters all over the world speak with CEOs, policymakers and regular people just trying to get by.
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Episodes
The dollar is going down
January 03, 2020 00:40 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBThe U.S. dollar rose for most of last year, until September hit. Since then, it has lost about 2.6% of its value, according to the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index. The rise and fall of global markets affects the value of the dollar because it’s thought of as a sort of safe haven. At the same time, the U.S. Federal Reserve started pumping more dollars into the U.S. financial system. But should we worry about the dollar’s drop? Plus: the fourth quarter election fundraising numbers are in, a new N...
A shopping fast for the soul (and the wallet)
January 01, 2020 23:19 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBEver realize you have 17 bottles of hand lotion and decide to reevaluate? That’s what Haley Falconer realized before she decided to do a shopping fast. She decided she would buy only the essentials, like groceries, and forgo all else. In the latest installment of our series “How We Shop,” we hear how she did it and how the year long experiment saved her family $4,000. Plus: A look back at this decade in the workplace, the story of a security guard who just turned 80 and a conversation about ...
Closing the year with an open office plan
December 31, 2019 23:32 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBA tweet from presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg about making the East Room in the White House an open office plan set the internet ablaze. Open plan office spaces have been trending for a few years now, but research shows there are quite a few downsides, like increased illness and decreased communication. Will the end of the decade bring the end of the open office? Plus: an update on U.S. trade relations, how a retired government contractor is winding down on the vineyard and a look at...
The tech trends of the 2010s
December 30, 2019 23:35 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MB“Marketplace Tech” host Molly Wood dropped by to tell us about the major tech trends of the past decade. If the 2000s were about the growth of the internet, the 2010s were about learning how to use it. Software saw a boom, with the rise of apps like Uber and platforms like Facebook. Molly’s big prediction? By 2030, phones will be no longer. Plus: the trade deficit in goods shrank for the third straight month, California’s new data privacy law kicks in at the start of the new year and a nurse...
Can a free streaming service work?
December 27, 2019 23:53 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBComcast, NBCUniversal’s parent company, is reportedly in talks to buy Xumo, a free streaming service totally supported by advertisements. That could help NBCUniversal make good on its plans to launch Peacock as a free, ad-supported service not unlike good old fashioned TV. Plus: Tesla is set to deliver its first cars built in China, a sleeping pill-induced money horror story and how swimsuit fabric drummed up controversy at the Olympics.
Clean shipping is coming to a port near you
December 26, 2019 23:22 - 26 minutes - 11.8 MBWith new global emissions rules kicking in Jan. 1, most analysts agree shipping costs are likely to rise. Shipping companies can do a couple different things to reduce their emissions, including purchasing cleaner but pricier fuel. The upside: Our air will be cleaner. Plus: a look at automatic inflation adjustments in minimum wages, how Saudi Arabia is pushing entrepreneurship and Pantone’s 2020 color of the year.
Will you get more overtime pay in 2020?
December 25, 2019 23:31 - 26 minutes - 11.8 MBWith the holidays wrapping up, we’re looking ahead at changes coming our way in 2020. The Department of Labor is raising the salary threshold for lower-paid salaried workers. Starting January 1st, 1.3 million workers will be eligible for overtime pay, we’ll talk about who is covered in this ruling. Plus: A look back at the last decade in trade and the last year in China.
Basic the Baby Yoda merch is
December 24, 2019 23:15 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBDisney Plus launched last month, along with the Star Wars universe show “The Mandalorian.” The breakout star is The Child, whom the internet has lovingly dubbed Baby Yoda. While the green little guy is huge online, there’s a noticeable lack of merchandise. We look at why the entertainment giant didn’t have the goods in time for the holiday season. Plus: a climate-conscious Christmas, a look back at the year in retail and one state’s efforts to curb traffic congestion.
CEO of Boeing is finally going
December 23, 2019 23:48 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBOver a year after the first 737 Max plane crashed, Boeing announced CEO Dennis Muilenburg will depart immediately. The board’s current chairman David Calhoun will officially take over on Jan. 13. What’s next for the company and when will the 737 Max be back in the air, if ever? Plus: a chat with the LA mayor, a breakdown of what being a “most-favored-nation” means, and why there’s an overload of packages being delivered to the office.
The GOP tax cuts, two years on
December 20, 2019 23:18 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBThe big GOP tax cut package will turn two over the weekend. We ask whether the cuts paid for themselves and stimulated the economy as the White House and its allies promised. Plus: Chinese surveillance companies finding blacklist workarounds, new consumer spending numbers and why it’s still so hard to shop sustainably.
What makes a worker “skilled”?
December 20, 2019 00:10 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBExecutives from middle market companies say one of their top challenges is finding more skilled workers. Today, we pick that distinction apart a bit and look at what it takes to be a “skilled worker” and why they’re hard to come by. Plus: the economics of tangerine season, chat bots that can “yes and” and a conversation with Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari.
Santa’s workshop is in your office
December 18, 2019 23:32 - 26 minutes - 11.8 MBA survey from consulting firm Robert Half said about half of employees planned to spend time online shopping at work this holiday season. Whether that puts you on the naughty list at work is none of our business. Today we dig into the overall effect on productivity, which isn’t as bad as you might think. Plus: The latest consumer price index numbers, FedEx’s “horrific” earnings and a conversation with the CEO of the nation’s second-largest charity.
How big is Boeing’s slice of the GDP?
December 18, 2019 00:10 - 26 minutes - 11.8 MBTurns out it’s about 1%. Today we look at the impact of halting production of the 737 Max, and how the decision could reverberate through the supply chain and economy as a whole. Plus: Three more stories from our “How We Retail” series and a look at the Southern California students turning to Mexico for affordable education.
Who’s getting that $28 billion farm bailout?
December 17, 2019 00:30 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBWe’re headed back to Iowa today, continuing our look at how the trade war, not to mention climate change, are altering the $100 billion agriculture business in this country. Plus: Boeing will halt production on the 737 Max, and Uber is giving California drivers a bit more rider info.
Just 11 more shopping days til Christmas
December 14, 2019 00:15 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBHoliday shopping season isn’t down to the wire quite yet, but it’s getting close. Today we’re gonna look at a couple ways shopping is changing: We call a mall manager to hear how the season’s going so far, then we hear from a retiree who went back to work for the app, Shipt. Plus, a quick update on Brexit, Europe’s crowded airports and the long view on inflation.
Welcome to Tariff Land
December 13, 2019 00:04 - 26 minutes - 11.8 MBThe dramatic cut of corn and soybean exports to China as a result of the current trade war was a big blow to American farmers, leaving them scattering to find different markets to make up the losses. But that’s easier said than done. The Trump administration has handed out billions in aid, but not every region or crop has gotten the same benefits. Today, we’re doing the numbers on who’s getting that aid, and spend some time with three Iowa farmers to see how they’re coping. Plus, a look at h...
Too many Americans are getting debt for Christmas
December 11, 2019 23:48 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBSeveral recent surveys found that a significant number of Americans don’t just feel the pressure to buy more, they also end up overspending during the holidays. Today, we do the numbers on who’s going into debt this season and why, along with some tips to avoid spending more than you can afford. Plus: What you need to know from the last Fed meeting of the year and the big tech regulation that’s a sticking point in the USMCA.
We have a deal, folks
December 10, 2019 23:43 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBHouse Democrats have reached an agreement on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement more than two years after the Trump administration started the process of renegotiating NAFTA. We’ll tell you everything you need to know. Plus: robotic produce pickers, the fight over irrigation water and a conversation with the first woman to run an American record company.
Remembering Paul Volcker
December 10, 2019 00:36 - 26 minutes - 11.8 MBFormer Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker, who helped shape American economic policy for decades, died this morning. Today, we look over his impact on the economy, and recall the time he raised interest rates to 21.5%. Plus: A new innovation that could make recycling more efficient, how to make kids’ entertainment more diverse, and the “smoker’s track” at work.
Let’s do the numbers on Uber’s safety report
December 07, 2019 00:08 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBUber reported today that of about 1.3 billion rides in the U.S. last year, there were 3,045 sexual assaults, nine murders and 58 people killed in car crashes. Today, we’re looking at those numbers in the context of Uber’s market share: some 70% of app-based ride services in the U.S. Plus: How Amazon changed Baltimore, takeaways from the latest jobs report and how inflatable holiday decorations took over American lawns.
UPS and FedEx caught in the holiday hustle and bustle
December 05, 2019 23:39 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBWe’re a week into the official holiday shopping season and, thanks to a late Thanksgiving, some shipping companies are already racing to the finish line. Plus: The end of the WTO as we know it, Sen. Rand Paul’s creative proposal for student loan debt and will 5G live up to the hype?
Where the money from food stamps is actually going
December 05, 2019 00:18 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBThe Trump administration is tightening work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or sometimes “food stamps.” The White House says low unemployment should make finding work easy, and the move will save $5.5 billion over the next five years. Today, we follow the money to find out what impacts the move could have. Plus: Twitter’s junk bonds, e-books’ effect on libraries and the unexpected costs that come with treating rare cancers.
Who gets to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange?
December 04, 2019 00:19 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBWe’re partial to “Stormy Weather” and “We’re In the Money,” but there’s one iconic sound that means it’s time to do the numbers: the bell that opens and closes the trading day on Wall Street. Today we take a look at that tradition, who gets to ring the bell and how they do it. Plus: Why batteries are getting cheaper and what the economy will look like in a year if the trade war continues.
Just about everything you own came on a truck
December 02, 2019 23:27 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBAmerica is short more than 60,000 truckers, and that number is expected to double in the next decade. Today, we talk with a trucker who trains people for the road. Plus, the latest on currency and trade wars, how e-commerce has changed holiday hiring and another shortage Americans are grappling with: not enough access to childcare.
Gen Z hits the mall for Black Friday
November 30, 2019 00:02 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBWhether you spend the day after Thanksgiving hunting for deals or lounging on the couch, consumer spending is still one of the primary drivers of this economy. Today, we’re gonna look at the outlook for this holiday season. Plus: why more teens are headed to stores today, how one couple found perfect gift, and why you might find a pair of Crocs under the tree this year.
Walk, run, fly
November 28, 2019 23:09 - 26 minutes - 11.8 MBThanksgiving air travel is expected to break records this year, and that means a lot of sitting around at airports. But there might be alternatives this year: Some airports are building walking paths, yoga rooms and full gyms. But is that the best use of space? Also: How small businesses are negotiating tariffs, innovation in the flower industry and a “Decade of Fire” in the Bronx.
China can really hold a grudge
November 27, 2019 23:47 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBNBA games are still banned from China’s state-run CCTV more than a month an official tweeted support for protestors in Hong Kong. How long can China’s economic grudges last? For South Korea, it’s three years and counting. Today, we look at how those lock-outs affect companies. Plus: The Trump administration’s tech import blocks, the latest business investment numbers and how all that plastic gets in the ocean.
“The glass is much more than half full”
November 27, 2019 00:29 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBThat was Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell talking about the economy this week. The job market is strong, holiday spending expectations are up, so why is consumer confidence down for the fourth straight month? Today, we unpack it all. Plus: Why eBay is selling StubHub, why young women bear the brunt of unpaid household labor, and why Mexican cartels are getting into the avocado business.
How the shopping season has changed
November 25, 2019 23:42 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBWe’re barreling toward the official start of the holiday shopping season, even though most stores have had tinsel up since late October. Today, we’ll hear from a bunch of different retailers about how their businesses have changed. Plus: Why companies are splitting up the chairman and CEO, who’s actually paying tariffs and how cryptocurrency works.
Try finding a tasty tomato next week, we dare you
November 22, 2019 23:33 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBThe United States produces about 2.7 billion pounds of tomatoes per year. When they’re in season, there’s nothing like biting into a fresh one. So why are so many tomatoes on grocery store shelves so bad? Plus: The latest on Huawei, English winemakers’ plan to repair their reputation and how accessibility impacts shopping.
How Chinese censorship changed “Top Gun” (and the rest of Hollywood)
November 22, 2019 00:10 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBThe upcoming sequel to “Top Gun” may strike many moviegoers in the summer of 2020 as an aerial tribute to American military might, yet several sharp-eyed fans who have seen the trailer are asking if Paramount Pictures is doing the bidding of China. The studio changed Tom Cruise’s character’s signature jacket to remove the Taiwanese flag, and it’s just the latest example of Beijing’s censorship laws shaping entertainment in the States. Today, we trace many examples and talk about why they mat...
There are 6,000 employee-owned companies in the U.S. How do they work?
November 20, 2019 23:27 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBA Japanese conglomerate just bought craft beer giant New Belgium Brewing, bringing an end to one of the largest employee-owned companies in the United States. There are only about 6,000 others in the country, so today we take some time to talk about how employee ownership works and why companies do it. Plus: The NFL’s latest efforts to attract women and our reading of the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes.
The view of the trade war from the water
November 20, 2019 00:03 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBLike it or not, it’s already holiday shopping season. And while you might not be ready quite yet, the truth is all those potential gifts on store shelves got here months ago. Today, we’re taking a visit to the Port of Los Angeles, which handles about half of all the shipping container trade between the United States and China. You may have heard there’s a trade war on. We’ll talk with the workers at the port about how it’s going. Plus: Why Home Depot is struggling and a new kind of prosperit...
The Mustang goes electric
November 19, 2019 00:36 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBFord is taking a big swing with the Mustang Mach-E, a new electric SUV the company announced last night. We have the exclusive interview with CEO Jim Hackett about the car and his vision for the company after a tough year. Plus: The Trump administration backs off its fight against flavored vape products, and Amazon takes criticism for how it handles counterfeit goods.
Holiday hiring hustle and bustle
November 15, 2019 23:41 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBHoliday shopping season is upon us, and many retailers are rushing to hire seasonal workers. Today, we look at how companies decide how much extra help they need and what happens when they get it wrong. Plus, what you need to know about the Trump administration’s push for transparent hospital pricing, and as always, we do the Weekly Wrap.
A year after the Camp Fire, life is still on hold
November 15, 2019 00:00 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBLast November’s Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. Given the massive scale of what was lost, there are thousands of survivors who still need serious financial help to put their lives back together. But getting that help takes a long time and requires staying on top of paperwork and deadlines. The most important of those deadlines just passed, and some estimates indicate thousands of people with claims missed it. Plus: A conversation with the head...
Today’s *other* big Congressional testimony
November 14, 2019 06:34 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBWhile you were busy watching the impeachment hearings, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell was testifying before Congress with a warning: While a Recession is less likely now than it was earlier in the year, current fiscal policy and national debt isn’t ready for a downturn. Today, we’ll catch you up. Plus: A conversation with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the rise of “Porch Pirates.” Yarr.
Are states ready for a recession?
November 13, 2019 00:10 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBThe unemployment rate is at near-record lows, but if that changes, it will mostly fall to states to pay unemployment benefits. That’s what happened in the Great Recession, but many states had to borrow to make up the gap. Plus: What you need to know about Google and health care records, and why banking apps and startups are named things like “Dave” and “Alice.”
Rebuilding Paradise
November 11, 2019 23:24 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBThe town of Paradise, California, is still trying to recover from the deadly and destructive Camp Fire that broke out in November 2018, killing 85 people and destroying more than 13,000 homes. In the days and weeks after the fire, residents were worried that big developers would swoop in, buy up the land at a discount and rebuild Paradise in a way that would alter the existing community. Today, we’ll look at how it’s going a year later. Plus: How algorithms determine what you can borrow, how...
WeWork-ers are trying to organize without a union
November 09, 2019 00:17 - 28 minutes - 11.8 MBFormer WeWork head Adam Neumann walked away with a $1.7 billion payout when he was forced out of the company. Now, ahead of the planned layoffs of thousands of workers, WeWork employees are organizing to make demands of management. It’s not the only workplace trying to unlock the power of informal organizing. Plus: The lasting economic legacy of the Berlin Wall and … why is office paper that size, anyway?
The recession that wasn’t (yet)
November 08, 2019 00:15 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBThe risk of a possible recession appears to have died down. So what happened? And are regular business owners and consumers feeling any better about the economy? We look into it. Then, what you need to know about Xerox’s offer to acquire HP and other cash and stock deals. Plus: AI isn’t quite here yet, but Black Friday is.
Working hard or hardly working?
November 06, 2019 23:52 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBProductivity was down 0.3% last quarter, which isn’t a seismic change, but it’s part of a downward trend. Americans are working hard, so why are they working in the slow lane? We look into it. Plus: how climate change is affecting the wine industry, why a country short on affordable housing also has millions of vacant homes, and what you aren’t learning in civics class.
Feeling the trade war on the farm
November 06, 2019 00:40 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBWe’re taking the macro and micro angles on the trade war today. First, looking at the factors that caused the U.S. trade deficit to fall more than 4% to $52.5 billion. Then zooming in to look at how farmers in Montana are stinging from the hit on their income caused by trade war. Plus, conversations about carpooling, VCs and the future of banking.
‘Tis the season (for open enrollment)
November 04, 2019 23:34 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBHalloween’s over, so you know what that means … it’s open enrollment! And this year, the marketplace has more “skinny” health care plans. But one person’s cheap, streamlined coverage package is another person’s “crappy insurance.” Plus: Why the government is concerned about TikTok, Apple’s affordable housing play and making the “perfect” Thanksgiving dinner.
Deadspin’s death spiral
November 01, 2019 23:09 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBOnce upon a time, Deadspin was a go-to website for sports, culture and news. Then a private equity company bought it. After being told to “stick to sports,” staff protested by quitting en masse. The disaster says a lot about what happens when private equity and digital media collide. Plus: The economy is contracting, and the NCAA moves forward on student athletes making money.
Segregation’s legacy lingers
October 31, 2019 22:55 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBChrishelle Palay never expected to be living in Kashmere Gardens, a historically black neighborhood in Houston that’s still struggling with the legacy of segregation and neglect. Then her great-aunt died and left her house to the family. On today’s installment of “Adventures in Housing,” we hear from Palay about why she kept her aunt’s house. Plus: a look at how job wages are faring, and why the Fiat Chrysler-Peugeot merger is happening now.
What we buy — and why
October 30, 2019 22:29 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MBRetail may be changing, but so are consumers. That’s why we’re launching “How We Shop,” a new series looking at how, what and why we buy. To kick it off, we follow a shopper who takes frugality to the next level. Plus: The streaming wars carry on, and the Fed cuts rates yet again.
Who’s setting expectations on Wall Street?
October 29, 2019 23:31 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBEvery earnings season, when companies announce how well a quarter went for them, you’ll see a pretty common headline: whether or not a given company beat or missed Wall Street’s expectations. But what exactly are “expectations,” and who makes them? Plus: The NCAA opens up to athletes making money, and the decline of coal.
Who pays for California’s wildfires?
October 28, 2019 23:01 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBThe governor of California declared a state of emergency yesterday after wildfire forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate. Wildfire season across the entire western part of the country is becoming more intense and more expensive every year — the federal government spent more than $2.4 billion on fire suppression in 2017. Today, a look at who pays after these disasters. Plus: scammed on the ‘Gram and a Brexit update.
Shanghai’s mountain of trash
October 25, 2019 23:30 - 25 minutes - 11.8 MBHow does a city of 24 million do its recycling? Shanghai began requiring its households, companies and public institutions to sort recyclables out of the 33,000 tons of refuse they generate each day. On today’s show, we’ll look at how much progress they’re making. Plus: Why Americans are spending less on home improvement, and a conversation with the CEO of US Foods.