Marketplace Marketplace

It’s been roughly six months since AstraZeneca released a COVID-19 antibody treatment called Evusheld, designed for immunocompromised people. But a lack of outreach and unequal distribution has led to a complicated and confusing rollout — leaving millions of vulnerable Americans without protection. Plus, what experts look for in the minutes from Federal Reserve meetings and how high energy prices please investors but burden the economy.

Some economic forecasters are downgrading their outlooks for growth for the rest of the year. Slower growth may actually help ease inflationary pressures but could still leave the economy vulnerable to a recession. Today, we’ll discuss. Also, how lifting tariffs on Chinese imports could ease inflation, the rise and fall of negative interest rates in Europe and the next big thing in higher ed: classes for TikTok influencers.

While the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates to cool down the U.S. economy, China’s central bank is taking the opposite approach to juice its slowing economy. Today, we’ll dig in. Plus, we wrestle with overstaffing at retailers and hear what the infant formula shortage teaches us about market concentration.

Then comes the upkeep. Authorities have confiscated roughly a dozen vessels with connections to the Kremlin, but to keep just one superyacht moored and maintained can cost tens of millions, and the arresting government has to foot the bill. Plus, retailers are stuck with too much inventory, farmers encounter a delayed planting season and classic cars are being electrified.

A thousand-point drop from the Dow is scary, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected either. Inflation cut into retailers’ earnings, spurring a huge market sell-off. The Federal Reserve wants the economy to cool, and the stock market may be taking the hint. We’ll talk about it all on today’s show. Plus: signs of a normalizing housing market, the legacy of California’s board diversity laws and more from our interview with former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke.

What’s the best way for the Federal Reserve to tackle decades-high inflation? For former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, the answer’s in the past. Today, Bernanke discusses what previous Fed chairs got wrong, why the Fed’s credibility is critical and how the central bank can manage inflation expectations. Plus, understanding the strength of the dollar, the extension of the public health emergency and the state of U.S. coal production.