50 episodes
Marketplace Marketplace
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- Business
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4.6 • 7.6K Ratings
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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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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.
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Spacial awareness
When supply chains were backed up early in the pandemic, some businesses bulked up on warehouse space. Now that inventory is no longer a problem, what to do with the excess? And in the art world, some nonprofits are trying to buy real estate, which comes with benefits and financial hurdles. Also in this episode: COVID habits shape restaurant hiring and a bakery deals with rising costs.
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The EU cracks down on Big Tech
A big antitrust law goes into effect today in the European Union. The Digital Markets Act is an effort to regulate Big Tech companies like Apple and Google. It’s designed to make the internet more competitive, but enforcement may prove tricky. Also in this episode: new retail subscriptions, the latest Beige Book insights, and a cowboy-skier-friendly sport.
Customer Reviews
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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. 😉
Bias in sports journalism, but nothing else??
Hilarious that they can see the conflict of interest in the NFL being a shareholder in ESPN, but not in their own reporting! NPR is almost entirely funded by the federal government, they don’t even try and hide their bias anymore. This year being an election year, with the worst incumbent president of all time, the propaganda pieces to make him look good are astoundingly blatant at this point. For 2024, it’s all hands on deck to make democrats look competent, despite the obvious facts that this economy doesn’t work for the average American.