Marketplace

Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.
Airs on:
MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm
28:18
Happy 247th birthday, USA! How’s that economy holding up?
We know it sounds strange, but the Federal Reserve wants to see higher unemployment in Friday’s jobs report to show that its fight against inflation is working. Then, climate change isn’t making hurricanes more frequent, but it is making them more severe. What to expect from this year’s season. Plus, how a formerly enslaved man helped Black families build generational wealth. And later, feral cats for hire!
27:56
Becoming an American citizen is expensive
Thousands will become U.S. citizens tomorrow at special celebrations across the country. But high application fees make naturalized citizenship unattainable for some of the more than 9 million immigrants who are eligible. Plus, what to expect from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s trip to China and this fall’s student loan repayment restart. Later: Christmas shopping? Already?
28:39
A pulse check of inflation across the globe
While the pace of price increases is slowing at home, today we’ll map out where inflation is fading, where it still hurts and where it’s actually welcome news. Also on the show: wading into the economic impact of the recent Supreme Court decisions in the Weekly Wrap and examining the FAA’s funding ahead of Fourth of July travels.
28:32
The business impact of today’s affirmative action ruling
The Supreme Court decision to strike down race-based college admissions didn’t come as a surprise to many. Today, we examine the economic ripple effects the decision could have, shrinking the talent pipeline for businesses and making U.S. companies less competitive internationally. Plus, the Federal Reserve could use an infrastructure upgrade and what the Barbie Dreamhouse reveals about American culture and real estate.
29:15
“Bidenomics,” explained
President Joe Biden on Wednesday pitched his economic plan, which he’s branded “Bidenomics.” Remind anyone of “Reaganomics”? The association between the terms— and contrasts between the philosophies — may just be the point. Also on the program: a surge in labor action, electric grids at risk, discord within OPEC+ and racial bias in home appraisals.
28:12
A housing market recovery … kinda
New Case-Shiller data suggests that home prices are rebounding after a moderate dip, and that’s in the face of high mortgage rates. Still, the story is different in different regions. We’ll also examine Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s planned trip to Beijing, dig into the business of getting kids to school and look at a new law that aims to better protect pregnant workers.
29:02
How much trouble is in store for office real estate?
American workers are stubbornly resistant to giving up working from home. That’s a huge problem for commercial real estate owners and the regional banks that finance them. So what happens when office buildings become ghost towns? Plus, China encourages young workers to move to the countryside, local governments look to employ gig workers and states attempt to modernize unemployment insurance services.
27:47
Economic forecasters are saying, “TGIF!”
New data indicates that American manufacturing is shrinking. The index of leading economic indicators has been signaling recession for more than a year. But what about consumer spending? Or the tight labor market? We called up some forecasters to sift through this pile of data and talk about the challenges of predicting where the economy is going right now. Plus: We meet the AI chatbots that lawyers are already using and take a closer look at how the economic boom in Houston is leaving the working class behind. But first, our panel of experts recaps a big week for the Federal Reserve.