Marketplace With Kai Ryssdal

Ever wanted to burn up physical manifestations of the year’s heart-wrenching grief and financial dread in a 50-foot-tall, marionette-shaped effigy? Same! In this episode, we visit the 100th Burning of Zozobra in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where attendees do just that. Plus: Climate change may be to blame for pricey potato chips and corporations rehire old executives in unstable times.

Interest rates fell in the wake of yesterday’s cut by the Federal Reserve — kinda. Truth is, most lenders had anticipated this move for a while and already lowered their rates before the Fed’s announcement. But we’ll have to wait for some of the other ripple effects. Also in this episode: Educators cautiously consider artificial intelligence products, consumers aren’t too interested in the new iPhone and we visit a remote edge of Alaska where national security and climate change clash.

Federal Reserve policymakers met this week and announced they’re cutting interest rates by half a percentage point. That’s meant to buoy the economy, but getting the public to understand why rates have been high, and why now’s the time to cut, is tricky. In this episode, experts weigh in on Chair Jerome Powell’s communication prowess. Plus, Gen Zers feel the pain of a tight job market combined with high prices, and we travel back in time to a Fed rate cut in 2019.

Since the COVID pandemic started, you’ve been shopping online more, right? Though consumer spending remained relatively stable over the past year, shopping at nonstore retailers (i.e., e-commerce) grew nearly 8%. We get it, it’s more convenient and safer, pandemic-wise. But how are brick-and-mortars adapting? Also in this episode: Corporate execs spout similar economic lingo, our electric grid’s got green energy shortcomings and rate cut anticipation raises homebuilders’ confidence.

For years, global oil demand has ticked up, mostly thanks to China’s voracious consumption. But real estate trouble combined with widespread electric vehicle adoption means China’s not guzzling oil like it used to. In this episode, the impact on the global oil market. Plus: A dockworker strike could put snags in holiday shopping, flight attendants dislike delays as much as you do and four states will vote on bond measures in November.

Everyone’s favorite aircraft manufacturer is back in the news — 30,000 Boeing machinist union members are on strike over pay. Typically, flyers don’t care what plane they’re on, as long as it gets them to the right place safely. But Boeing has had a year of high-profile controversies. Will the strike put the company into free fall? Also in this episode: Dollar stores struggle, Sierra Mist fizzles out and Jack’s Family Restaurants thrives in rural towns.

Today in Econ 101, we’re talking yield curve. In a typical economy, the longer a bond’s duration, the more interest it yields. The inverse — shorter duration, higher yields — usually means a recession is coming. We’ve been seeing an inverted yield curve in the U.S. financial system for nearly two years. So, where’s the recession? Also in this episode: Credit card delinquencies hit a 12-year high and we visit U.S. troops preparing for climate change.

Annual inflation, according to the consumer price index, fell to a multiyear low in August. That’s great, but we’re still half a percentage point away from the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. What’s holding up prices? Also in this episode: Campbell’s wants us to know it sells more than soup, recession alarm bells are ringing — but maybe not for the reason you think — and will companies that already collect our data please stop sending us surveys?

Since 1970, Amtrak has run U.S. passenger rail service and — per a formal agreement with private railroad companies — those passenger trains get preference over cargo carriers on the tracks. But now, the Department of Justice says freight companies are breaking the rules. Also in this episode, more moving: New pipelines carry excess natural gas out of Permian Basin fields, programs that help families move into affordable housing assist with repairs too, and farmers pressure Congress to budge on the delayed farm bill.

When the August consumer price index is released Wednesday, it’ll be the final major inflation report before the Federal Reserve’s policymakers meet next week, when they’re expected to cut interest rates. But how important is the CPI as a gut check this time around? Also in this episode, backup generators are too expensive for many older Texans who need them most, China makes electric vehicles that seem impossibly cheap, and U.S. leaders show interest in a sovereign wealth fund.

The Inflation Reduction Act set aside $369 billion to invest in climate change programs and energy security two years ago. So far, when it comes to the percentage of IRA dollars claimed by state, Nevada ranks No. 1. In fact, the states that spent the most per capita last year aren’t Democratic strongholds either. In this episode, why Republican governors are leaning into clean energy. We’ll also hear from three “Marketplace” regulars about their jobs in the “analog” age, and dig into the August jobs report.

As the presidential race heats up, we’re sure to hear more about immigrants and how they affect the U.S. economy. In this episode, we break down immigration’s impact on housing, tax revenue, consumer spending and the labor market. Plus, 8 million student loan borrowers are in limbo while President Joe Biden’s SAVE plan is challenged in court. Also: Lots of small businesses can’t afford to hire, and energy storage batteries may be coming to an electric grid near you.

The job market is the tightest it’s been in over three years — but don’t freak out. There are still more open positions than there are job seekers right now. But some experts are stressing about what the labor market may look like in a few months. Would potential interest rate cuts influence job creation in 2025? Also in this episode: The services sector is looking better than manufacturing, U.S. war stockpiles have climate-friendly uses and we check in with a former restaurateur who pivoted to consulting.

Nearly a quarter of overweight or obese adults in the U.S. have taken a GLP-1 — a class of weight loss drugs that includes Ozempic. But in some states, Medicaid doesn’t cover GLP-1s, though low-income Americans are more likely to be overweight or obese. In this episode: Who can access or afford this new medicine? Plus, striking hotel workers want higher pay and a return to pre-pandemic norms, the Federal Trade Commission is making it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions, and the manufacturing sector is in a rut.

Consumers’ long-term economic outlook were a bit more positive in August, data from the University of Michigan shows. So if your in-laws were in a better mood on Labor Day than they were, say, on the Fourth of July, that could be why. In this episode, we get into why some Americans are feeling good about the economy while others still feel like they’re struggling to make ends meet. Plus, pediatricians have to make tough decisions about how many COVID-19 vaccine doses to purchase and new Department of Transportation rules require airlines to reimburse passengers’ costs for canceled and significantly delayed flights, no matter the cause.

New data shows that while consumer spending is strong, Americans aren’t saving like they used to. But the pandemic made year-to-year comparisons a bit misleading. So are consumer habits normalizing after an unusual economic period, or should we be concerned that savings have taken a dip? Also in this episode: Some businesses prefer to operate on a “fiscal” calendar, public swimming pools try to stay afloat and corporate tax changes may be important in this year’s election.

Why is the U.S. dollar losing steam? The short version: Falling demand for the currency drags its value down. Since the Federal Reserve is likely to cut interest rates soon, investors aren’t racing to buy U.S. bonds. And you need U.S. dollars to buy U.S. bonds … you get the picture. In this episode, more on currency fluctuations — and why the dollar losing value isn’t all bad. Plus: Businesses investing in themselves drove up second-quarter GDP, China has a burgeoning black market for Nvidia semiconductors and human bodies make great compost.

What if every American household and business had access to high-speed internet? That’s what the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, a federally funded project, aims to accomplish. As part of our “Breaking Ground” series, we visit a town in Kentucky that’s had universal fiber-optic internet connections since 2014, thanks to a cable utilities cooperative and Great Recession-era stimulus funding. Could McKee be a model for what the U.S. might look like if the BEAD program achieves its goal?

Roughly 200,000 Kentucky households lack internet access or are “underserved,” according to Meghan Sandfoss, executive director of the state’s Office of Broadband Development. It’s her job to open digital doors for all those residents, rural and otherwise — a tricky task that involves coordinating federal, state and local offices as well as internet service providers, nonprofits and engineers. In this episode, we’ll upack the process of hooking up homes to a fiber-optic network, including getting local buy-in, developing detailed maps and navigating environmental challenges.

Bringing high-speed internet access to every U.S. household is one goal of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. To do that, we’re gonna need a lot more fiber-optic cables. Per the Build America Buy America Act, the $42 billion in federal funding designated for expanding high-speed internet access has to be spent on American-made cables and the optical fibers that make them up. So in this episode, we’ll visit a factory in Claremont, North Carolina, to see how they’re made and learn why the U.S. wants fiber prioritized over other ways to connect to the internet.