Marketplace Marketplace
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- Business
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Every 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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Who pays real estate agents?
To buy a house, you’ll probably need a real estate agent. Traditionally, sellers pay both agents a commission, a cost baked into the buyer’s closing fees. But a lawsuit settlement last week means buyers could start paying their agents directly or on an hourly basis. Also in this episode: global central banks meet this week, new tech may help bring down methane emissions, and avian flu is killing chickens across California.
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A labor market paradox
The U.S. economy has been on a job creation spree in the last few years. But wage inflation has eased and unemployment even ticked up recently. What gives? Also in this episode: Infrastructure grants aid communities of color, e-commerce changes the way we shop and crawfish farmers struggle with the impact of record heat.
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Spring is coming, and so are higher gas prices
We keep a close eye on the price of oil because it feeds so many industries and hints at what’s coming for the global economy. And right now, the price of crude is going up along with gas at the pump. One reason is that OPEC is holding back on supply. Another: Spring is coming. We’ll explain. Also in this episode: The state of American steel, the rise of the AI training industry, and the Taiwanese roots of bubble tea.
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Betting on mother nature
Catastrophe bonds are a risky bet to make. But they offered returns of nearly 20% last year, Bloomberg reported. In this episode, we’ll cover why climate change makes these bonds more popular — and more lucrative. Plus: sporting brands have an overstock problem, large group reservations are hard to come by and ads on e-commerce sites make up a $50 billion industry
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A higher-than-expected CPI
The February consumer price index is out — inflation was 3.2% year over year. That’s just a smidge higher than January. Still, prices in some sectors are down from a year ago. We’ll dig into the data, from price drops in furniture to still waters in apparel. Plus: the state of banking one year after the SVB fiasco and the future of addiction treatment in Oregon.
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Not too hot, not too cold
The Federal Reserve decided that our inflation goal is 2% annually. It hasn’t hit that level, but prices are relatively stable and the economy’s going strong, with a hot labor market and a growing GDP. In this episode, is the landing we have soft enough? Plus, inventory stories: Retailers have recovered from that early COVID supply backlog and more vehicles on dealers’ lots mean a different sales pitch.
Customer Reviews
Informational
Informational
Too Partisan in the Macro
I’ve been listening for years and I like the variety of topics and views. Lately I feel like the coverage of the general economy is very partisan, and sometimes I wonder if the Biden admin signs you checks. For example saying that the influx of immigrants has helped bring down inflation. Yes wage inflation, immigration brings down wages and they stay below price inflation. This isn’t helping your audience. Nobody wants to be told they should be feeling better about getting poorer just because we have jobs.
Doug in “Atlanta”
I can only suppose that Kai said that ugly thing about Krispy Kreme doughnuts because his taste buds were somehow shot off while he was in the Navy. There is nothing quite as good as a Krispy Kreme doughnut, especially when they are hot. Kai, I’m sorry you don’t appreciate good things. 😉