Marketplace Morning Report Podcast
1) Potential signs of a friendlier housing market
2025 was a tough year for homebuyers. Two things happened over the last three months of the year that helped people trying to buy a home: Housing prices grew more slowly, and mortgage rates fell. We'l...Show More
2) What happened to Saks?
Saks Global — the luxury retail conglomerate that owns brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman — filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. But given that higher-income cons...Show More
3) Will the focus on Greenland attract international investors?
From the BBC World Service: Despite Wednesday’s inconclusive talks between the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland, investors are starting to examine how Greenland’s extensive mineral resources might be tapp...Show More
4) Fact-checking Trump's economic record
President Donald Trump traveled to Michigan yesterday to tout the economy's performance during his second administration. He spoke at the Detroit Economic Club for about an hour, but the speech includ...Show More
5) Microsoft agrees to foot AI data center costs
The data centers needed to power AI are controversial in many communities. People worry about that extra demand driving up their electricity bills, which are already up almost 7% in a year. In respons...Show More
6) In the face of a trade war, China defies the odds
From the BBC World Service: China has announced record export numbers and the largest trade surplus in global history: $1.2 trillion. Despite the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs, China has ...Show More
7) Inflation is stubbornly steady
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the final consumer price index reading for 2025 this morning. Spoiler alert: Inflation is still too high. Prices were up 2.7% from the year before and up 0.3% b...Show More
8) 2026 has its first new tariff threat
President Donald Trump said on social media that he is imposing a 25% tariff on goods from countries “doing business” with Iran in response to Iran's government imprisoning and killing protesters. The...Show More
9) AI deepfakes could lead to fines and country-wide bans
From the BBC World Service: There's mounting pressure on Grok — the AI chatbot that's part of Elon Musk's social media platform, X — over the generation of explicit images. The U.K. is rushing through...Show More
10) The politicization of monetary policy
President Trump’s growing frustration with the Federal Reserve’s commitment to political independence reached fever pitch over the weekend when Fed Chair Jerome Powell annouced the DOJ has opened a cr...Show More