Marketplace

The housing market is a bit chilly right now — new home sales are down, and so are prices. But current homeowners watched their property values grow over the past several years. So when it comes to selling, they’ve got (as Olivia Rodrigo might say) real big expectations. In this episode, the disconnect between need-to-sell homeowners and price-sensitive buyers. Plus: Consumer confidence continues its bumpy journey, durable goods orders are picking up, and we visit Brownsville, Texas, where SpaceX launches are taking over the skies.

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Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

Durable goods orders have been picking up. And it’s not just AI.
Selling your home? You may need to adjust expectations
Consumer confidence ticked up in October. Is it just a blip?
In South Texas, rocket launches are part of a bigger economic shift
Capitalism and democracy go hand in hand, according to new index
For this candy store, it's all about the customers

A few Big Tech firms are slated to explain their quarterly earnings later this week. AI will, of course, be the protagonist of these earnings calls. Investors are hoping for some positive character development, or at least a spoiler for any plot twists. In this episode, the next installment of the AI narrative. Plus: Central banks prepare for interest rate setting, Treasury rates rise with heightened risk, and the Energy Department adds helium to its critical materials list — again.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

AI is the main character in Big Tech's earnings stories
Will the world's central banks rase interest rates this week?
At the Belcourt Theatre, you can see everything (including the documentary)
Helium is back on the U.S. list of 'critical materials'
Treasury interest rates are up because they're looking risky
Aging farmers and the government want to save farms, but for many the cost is too high

Big Tech is kind of carrying the stock market right now, thanks to all that spendy artificial intelligence innovation. That means your retirement account is probably invested in at least some AI stocks. So we asked an expert: If the theoretical AI bubble pops, will those 401(k)s be OK? Also in this episode: New data shows healthy growth in the private sector, Kai goes over the week’s economic headlines ahead of another Fed rate decision, and we visit a cyber-scam compound in Cambodia.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

Treasury yields, tech stocks, and consumer sentiment all took a slide this week
Inside a Cambodian cyber scam compound
There's reason to believe the private sector economy is actually doing pretty well
Got a 401(k)? There's a good chance it's invested in AI

Everyday consumers aren’t the only ones contending with rising borrowing costs. Corporations are also subject to those fluctuations — but the rates don’t rise equally across the board. In this episode, why companies with the corporate equivalent of low credit scores are seeing extra-high borrowing costs right now. Also in this episode: Rising crude oil prices spell trouble for sustained inflation, P&G raises sales with “innovation-based pricing,” and independent mechanics struggle to repair newer tech-integrated cars.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

How rising crude oil prices could impact the U.S. and global economy
"Innovation-based pricing": new versions of old products at higher prices
Rising rates are stressing out the riskiest companies
This CPA quit, then did one fun thing every day of her job hunt
Has the recipe for Reese's changed? It depends on how you define 'change'
Independent garages juggle mechanic shortage and computerized autos

In Crook County, Oregon, just east of the Cascade mountains, data centers sprawl across the high desert landscape. The area fell into economic decline during the Great Recession and some residents welcomed investment by Meta and Apple in the form of massive data center complexes. But 15 years on, was it worth it? In this episode, what happens when data centers come to town. Plus, mergers and spinoffs: Abbott plans to turn its baby formula operation into a standalone company, and Elon Musk explores a plan to combine Tesla and SpaceX.

Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.

Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.

Read the stories in today’s episode:

Data centers boosted one Oregon town's economy, but some residents have had enough
Abbott Laboratories announces a baby formula spinoff company
Elon Musk wants to merge SpaceX and Tesla
If “demographics are destiny,” what’s in store for the U.S. economy?