Marketplace show

Marketplace

Summary: 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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Podcasts:

 04/23/2018: The cost of money | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:25:58

We begin today with a number, a relatively simple number that brings with it meaning for everybody in this economy who has debt: 3 percent. That's the interest rate that the government's 10-year Treasury note is getting really close to, for the first time since January 2014. In isolation, it's not a huge deal, but in the context of the low-rate environment, it's really something. We'll start today by explaining all the hype. Then: What you need to know about French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Washington, and a follow-up to that hefty fine the government hit Wells Fargo with last week. Plus: Horror movies are back from the dead, making big money on small budgets.

 04/20/2018: Mick Mulvaney on Wells Fargo, the role of regulators and restructuring the American economy | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:26:05

Wells Fargo will pay the federal government a billion dollars to settle charges of misconduct in its car and home loans. That's a lot, but only a small percentage of the banks' recent profits. It's also the biggest bank fine imposed by the Trump administration and the first by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the direction of Mick Mulvaney. He's no fan of the agency he's now in charge of, and he's still Trump's budget guy, so we had him on today to talk about all of it. Then: We'll talk over the interview with our friends on the Weekly Wrap and take a look at where all that money's going. Plus: unpacking Trump's tweets about OPEC.

 04/19/2018: Puerto Rico is still recovering | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:25:59

Sometimes you've got a plan for reporting out a story, then circumstances change your mind. That's what happened to Marketplace Weekend host Lizzie O'Leary, who's in Puerto Rico this week. She was in the middle of reporting an update on how the island is recovering after last year's hurricanes, then the lights went out ... everywhere. We got Lizzie on the phone today to talk about how things are going. But first, the latest on the AT&T-Time Warner trial — and reminder of what's at stake. Plus: the business of a royal wedding.

 04/18/2018: Did you go to Starbucks today? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:25:43

American consumers can be a fickle bunch, and companies spend billions to make that fickleness break their way as best they can — especially in a crisis. Bloomberg calculated that Starbucks' upcoming shutdown for racial bias training is gonna cost $17 million in lost sales. But what do Starbucks customers think of last weekend's incident in Philadelphia, where two black men sat down without buying anything and left in handcuffs? That's where we're starting today. Then, another Trump tweet fact check: Are bilateral trade deals really better for the U.S. than big pacts like the Trans-Pacific Partnership? Plus: More on brand loyalty, and why disgruntled Facebook users are still relatively happy with its subsidiary, Instagram.

 04/17/2018: The Tax Day that wasn't | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:25:56

It was supposed to be Tax Day in America, but thanks to computer issues at the IRS, everyone gets another day to file. Taxes were still on the docket at the Supreme Court today though — the justices heard South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. At issue is whether the online retailer and others like it should collect sales tax. We'll follow the money. But first: Starbucks is closing down all 8,000 of its company-owned stores for one day next month to give its 175,000 workers racial bias training. The move comes after two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia when a manager called the police because they were sitting in the cafe without buying anything. We'll talk about it. Plus: President Donald Trump is meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week, and trade's on the table. Japan's one of several American allies and 2,200 companies looking for an exemption. We'll look at who else is on the list. 

 04/16/2018: It's another episode of "Is There Anything Beyoncé Can't Do?" | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:26:09

It's a bit of a musical episode today, from Beyoncé's mammoth Coachella performance to... the new Fed appointments? We'll explain. None of our trading partners were hit with a currency manipulator label in the latest report from the Treasury department last week, but decisions by the president's own government often don't dissuade him from tweeting what he believes, like "Russia and China are playing the Currency Devaluation game." We'll talk about it. Plus: We're just past the point of maximum pressure for a lot of high school seniors. College admissions are a roll of the dice, but early-decision admissions are getting a closer look from the Justice Department, possibly for antitrust violations, and that's not the only complaint people have with it.

 04/13/2018: Trump did a 180 yesterday ... and another today | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:26:20

President Donald Trump has gone back and forth on the Trans-Pacific Partnership the past few days, and you might be looking for a refresher. What exactly is in the thing? We'll get you up to speed today and talk a bit about the Farm Bill, too. Then: The president has kicked things up a notch in his fight with Amazon over the U.S. Postal Service. He's ordering a task force to dig into the operations and finances of the post office, which he says is on an unsustainable financial path. But is a task force gonna fix that? We'll look into it, but first, the Weekly Wrap.

 04/12/2018: TPP? TBD | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:26:04

Much like health care, it seems global trade is a harder nut to crack than the White House thought it might be. In a meeting today, Presdient Donald Trump said he's told his top economic and trade advisers to look at getting the United States back into the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It's not really a surprise. The president hinted at it in Davos, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin flat out said it in an interview on this program. That's where we're starting today, plus the latest on bank earnings and Disney's move to streaming. Also: A lot of science fiction tech has become reality. Now some companies are settling into stacks of sci-fi to find the Next Big Thing.

 04/11/2018: What Paul Ryan's departure means | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:25:58

We got the most recent Federal Reserve meeting minutes. The key takeaways: Trump tax cuts and increased federal spending will give the economy a short-term boost, but all the deficit spending and retaliatory tariffs carry long-term risks. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan won't have to worry about any of this soon. He announced today he'll leave Congress in January. We'll talk about the ripple effects of that departure. Then: Mark Zuckerberg's second day of testimony saw the Facebook CEO answering more questions about his company's business model: A lot of it comes down to the Like button, that little thumbs up that may well be the most powerful tool in social media. We'll explain. Plus: More from our "How We Changed" series.

 04/10/2018: "Senator, we run ads." | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:26:08

If you were listening to Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in front of the Senate, you missed the sort of bewildered smile on the Facebook CEO's face as he explained to Sen. Orrin Hatch how his company makes money. Zuckerberg was still answering questions as we taped the show this afternoon, but we brought in Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood to talk about the story so far. Then, we'll look at another striking moment from this afternoon, when Zuckerberg said Facebook isn't a monopoly as it stares down regulation, here and abroad. Then: Toys R Us filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, with more than $5 billion in debt on its books. But soon afterward, it asked the bankruptcy court for permission to pay big executive bonuses. That sounds remarkable, but it's actually pretty common. We'll look at why. Plus: One in three American families has trouble affording diapers. We'll look at why.

 04/09/2018: Would you pay for Facebook? | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:26:10

It's been a while since we've started this program by dissecting a presidential tweet. But with a whiff of trade war in the air, there's some good economic context to be had from that exercise today. At 6:03 in the morning, the president said, "When a car is sent to the United States from China, there is a Tariff to be paid of 2 1/2%. When a car is sent to China from the United States, there is a Tariff to be paid of 25%. Does that sound like free or fair trade. No, it sounds like STUPID TRADE - going on for years!" Believe it or not, the most important part of that whole thing was the last two sentences. We'll explain. Then: It's often said that if you aren't paying for a product, you are the product. The past few weeks at Facebook have been a stark reminder of that. So, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg set to testify before Congress tomorrow, we'll explore this model, other companies that use it and whether Facebook has any alternatives. Plus: Kai ended the trade war! He lost.

 04/06/2018: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:26:00

Today's jobs report was underwhelming, no doubt. But after putting up huge numbers last month, we're still adding 200,000 jobs a month this year. What we should really be worried about is The Ghost of Jobs Reports Yet to Come, because this run of economic growth is getting very long in the tooth. We'll talk about it, plus the latest Russian sanctions from the Trump administration. Then: Why on earth is Netflix looking to spend $300 million on a billboard company? But first, we'll talk about all the economic news of the past seven days in the Weekly Wrap.

 04/05/2018: The view from China on a potential trade war | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:25:58

The trade deficit — all the goods and services we buy from overseas, minus what other countries buy from us — is President Donald Trump's key economic irritant. He's cited it when threatening to raise tariffs and tear up trade deals like NAFTA. We just got the February trade report this morning from the Department of Commerce, and for the sixth month in a row, our trade deficit has grown, despite Trump's promises to shrink it. It may not be his fault though, and we'll explain why. Then: Yesterday we talked to several Americans about what the potential trade war between China and the U.S. would mean for them. Today we're headed to the streets of Shanghai, where the perspective is a little different. Plus, it's opening day for minor league baseball. While MLB players can pull eye-popping salaries, their counterparts down the ladder are making peanuts — with no raise in sight.

 04/04/2018: Your trade war questions, answered | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:25:56

We should be clear from the jump: China and the U.S. are trading specific, escalating threats of tariffs, but none have actually gone into effect. So you could call it a "trade war," but it really isn't ... yet. Still, you all have a lot of questions about what might happen if this cold trade war heats up. We'll start today's show with the economic fundamentals, then do our best to answer those questions. There's even more on Marketplace.org. Plus: A look at what will happen to America's agriculture industry if no one blinks in this macroeconomic game of chicken.

 04/03/2018: Nothing but respect for *our* John Williams | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:26:16

The 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve are ostensibly equal, but in reality the New York Fed leads the way on regulation of Wall Street and other bits of monetary policy. Today, the central bank announced John Williams (no, the other one) will run it. We'll talk about what that means for the Fed and what you need to know about Williams. Then, the latest from the so-called red-state teacher rebellion, playing out now in Kentucky and Oklahoma, West Virginia previously. Plus: Tiger Woods has been off his game in a very big way for years now. But after a string of personal struggles and four back surgeries, he's back and playing pretty well. Turns out, what's good for Woods' game is good for golf. We'll look at the Tiger Effect in 2018. 

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