The Conference Board reported the biggest monthly decline in consumer confidence since 2021. The University of Michigan also reported a sharp decline in optimism, along with a steep increase in inflation expectations. The reasons? Threats of tariffs, high cost-of-living expenses and general uncertainty. Also on the show: a draft deal for the U.S. to access Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and a proposed green card for wealthy people.
Feb 26, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: Under pressure from investors, energy giant BP is increasing investments in oil and gas by $10 billion a year, while decreasing previously planned renewables funding by more than $5 billion. Plus, Ukraine has struck a deal to let the U.S. jointly exploit its mineral resources. Then, Donald Trump’s plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants is raising economic concerns. How are small businesses in the U.S. responding?
Feb 26, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast American consumers have a lot of skepticism about self-driving vehicles, according to a new AAA survey. It finds that less than half of us would get in a car without a driver and far fewer would use automated driving when they’re behind the wheel. Also, we’ll hear about a proposed EU-Ukraine partnership over strategic minerals, unpack federal agency responses to an ultimatum by Elon Musk and look at EV truck charging infrastructure.
Feb 25, 2025•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Apple has a pattern of announcing big investments in U.S. jobs at the start of new presidential administrations. Now, under Donald Trump, Apple has announced a $500 billion investment in U.S. operations over the next four years — an announcement that comes amid looming tariff threats. Plus: drama over Elon Musk’s productivity email sent to federal workers and a look at how warmer weather is impacting the snowmobile economy.
Feb 25, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: The biggest bank in Southeast Asia, DBS in Singapore, says it’ll cut 4,000 jobs over the next three years as AI takes on more work. Then, the European Union proposed a Ukrainina critical minerals partnership, which comes as President Trump is pushing Kyiv for a sweeping deal with the U.S. And in the U.K., farmers are urging a government re-think over plans for a new estates tax.
Feb 25, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Markets opened higher this morning after a spate of worrisome economic numbers caused a tumble on Friday. Those included declining service sector business activity and consumer sentiment that showed rising inflation expectations — which can be self-fulfilling. We’ll unpack. Also on the program: The Trump administration is moving ahead with the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and we’ll look at the underlying economic forces behind Canada’s ongoing p...
Feb 24, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Trump administration has fired more than 6,000 Internal Revenue Service workers — many of them in collections and enforcement — in the name of cost-cutting. But the money the IRS spends on tax collection helps it pull in more money from taxpayers. We’ll dig in. Plus, is it time to rethink how we measure the economy? We’ll hear from an advocate for placing people’s lived experiences at the center of economics.
Feb 24, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: The Christian Democrats came in first in German elections, with more than 28% of the vote. But they’ll need at least one coalition partner to form a government, and some tough negotiations over the economy lie ahead. Plus, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation last month. For voters and contenders for the prime ministership, economic concerns are front and center.
Feb 24, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s another casualty from the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development: Funding for agriculture research at 17 labs at U.S. universities is now frozen. We’ll discuss some of the impacts. Plus, the health of the manufacturing sector improved for the second month in a row. And, how are markets responding to government firings and a government-wide deregulation campaign?
Feb 21, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shares of Booking Holdings — the company behind Booking.com, Priceline, Kayak and other travel sites — are popping this morning after announcing yesterday that profits were up almost 50% last quarter compared to a year earlier. Tons of companies in the travel industry, including airlines, are doing well thanks to strong travel demand. We’ll unpack. Also on the program: a lesson on how Massachusetts helped make the modern gambling industry.
Feb 21, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: Thousands of students are protesting as part of what’s become known as “Dark Indonesia” demonstrations, in which rally-goers are taking a stand against budget cuts and other policies by President Prabowo Subianto. Plus, Germany’s election campaign is in its closing days, and a BBC investigation finds that addictive synthetic opioids are being illegally shipped to West Africa by an Indian company.
Feb 21, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Trump administration has waded into a controversial policy in New York that charges tolls for most passenger cars entering certain parts of Manhattan, also known as congestion pricing. The Secretary of Transportation has sent a letter to New York’s governor saying that the administration is revoking federal approval. We’ll hear more. Also, we’ll unpack Walmart’s quarter earnings release and learn how one California company is electrifying older diesel trucks.
Feb 20, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Food and Drug Administration is among the agencies in the firing lines of the Trump administration’s staff cuts. But those layoffs are raising flags about how the FDA will be able to adequately oversee food supply safety and respond to any crises or outbreaks. Also on the program: what the government might do with savings resulting from DOGE’s budget slashes and why homebuilders feel pessimistic about future sales.
Feb 20, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: The Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes suggest they want to see more evidence that inflation is cooling before cutting interest rates. However, when borrowing costs stay high in the U.S., it can ripple around the globe. Then, authorities in Myanmar have started sending back hundreds of Chinese nationals accused of working in internet scam operations. And, ahead of Germany’s elections, we hear how voters are reacting to a sluggish economy.
Feb 20, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Donald Trump says he wants to impose tariffs of 25% or more on imports of automobiles, semiconductor chips and pharmaceuticals. The president had previously mentioned sector-specific tariffs. Now there’s a number: 25%. But it’s far from certain that these tariffs will materialize. We’ll discuss. Plus, as part of this month’s Econ Extra Credit series , we’ll talk about how far racial representation come since the early days of TV....
Feb 19, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast We start today’s show with a grim reality: New research finds that the COVID-19 pandemic led to so many deaths — of people who would have withdrawn retirement benefits — that it resulted in a $205 billion net increase in the nation’s Social Security fund. Plus, a new lawsuit is trying to keep DOGE out of America’s tax returns, and the NAACP is calling for Black consumers to leverage their purchasing power.
Feb 19, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast We start today’s show with a grim reality: New research finds that the COVID-19 pandemic led to so many deaths — of people who would have withdrawn retirement benefits — that it resulted in a $205 billion net increase in the nation’s Social Security fund. Plus, a new lawsuit is trying to keep DOGE out of America’s tax returns, and the NAACP is calling for Black consumers to leverage their purchasing power.
Feb 19, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: The inflation rate in the United Kingdom has jumped to 3%, its highest level in 10 months. Rising food prices are partly to blame. Then, EU ambassadors agreed to a new round of sanctions on Russia, including a ban on some aluminum imports. And later, while Germany is the largest economy in Europe, it’s struggling. We see how the country’s mittelstands — small and midsized family-owned businesses — are faring.
Feb 19, 2025•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Amid the cascade of directives from President Trump, some government datasets have become inaccessible. Researchers, economists and investors are among the people who rely on that data — and there’s a cost when it goes away. Plus, “we will see an increase by tenfold of people dying from AIDS.” We take a hard look at how disruptions to U.S. foreign aid are affecting lifesaving HIV/AIDS treatment and what happens if they aren’t resolved.
Feb 18, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Trump administration is defending giving the Elon Musk-led advisory group DOGE access to the detailed tax records of all Americans. Presidential advisor Steven Miller says it’s about rooting out foreign fraud. Now, DOGE is reportedly trying to get access to Social Security records. We’ll unpack. Also on the program: New car sales dropped in January, and we’ll discuss some of the lasting effects that wildfires have on local labor markets.
Feb 18, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: Opposition politicians in Argentina want to impeach President Javier Milei after a short-lived promotion of an obscure cryptocurrency caused investors to lose thousands of dollars. We’ll hear more. Plus, Russia and the U.S. are meeting in Saudi Arabia for their first direct talks designed to end the war in Ukraine. And, we’ll learn how a lack of investment in Germany’s infrastructure has affected one town in East Germany.
Feb 18, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the most famous bets in the past half-century — at least among economists — wasn’t about the Super Bowl or a presidential election. No, it was about whether five critical metals would be worth more or less between 1980 and 1990. Really, this was about innovation and how we consume natural resources. Researchers are now looking at this question all over again. What can we glean? Also: a frigid vault to preserve data.
Feb 17, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the key themes of American life right now is uncertainty, whether it be from the rising cost of living, the toll of natural disasters or new policies from Donald Trump’s administration. Today, we’ll unpack how uncertainty and precarity can pave the way for deeper inequality. Plus, the Trump administration is considering the ocean floor as a mining source for critical minerals. We’ll hear about the opportunities the mining industry sees.
Feb 17, 2025•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: Every day, our digital footprint is growing, but parts of it will be lost over time. To safeguard it for future generations, some are storing digital artifacts in the Arctic World Archive. We put on our headlamps and winter coats to learn more. Also on the show: Seoul bans China’s DeepSeek, Chinese President Xi Jinping holds high-profile meetings with business leaders, and Russia-Ukraine peace talks impact oil prices.
Feb 17, 2025•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Donald Trump and advisor Elon Musk are intensifying their program to end the jobs of federal employees. A new strategy is to let go people on the job for less than a year, people with what is called “probationary status.” We’ll discuss. Plus, a new poll finds that a third of Americans have more credit card debt than emergency savings. Then, could labor unions help meet Colorado’s green energy goals?
Feb 14, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, as part of our “Unlocking The Gates” series, we’ve been covering the relationship between housing access and economic opportunity in the U.S. In this final piece, we hear directly from those involved in Minnesota’s efforts to tackle the inequity that keeps people locked out of the property market there. But first: the Trump administration has expanded its campaign to terminate the jobs of federal workforce....
Feb 14, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: The United Kingdom’s antitrust body is calling for standardized labelling and clearer information on baby formula to help parents save money. Also, global leaders are gathering in Germany for the annual Munich Security Conference. The big topic this year is Ukraine, which has offered the U.S. key minerals in a high stakes bid to secure support. And, are reusable water bottles turning into the next fast fashion?
Feb 14, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wholesale inflation ticked up in January, as did consumer price inflation. Valentine’s Day is not immune from these inflationary pressures. The National Retail Federation expects record spending of nearly $28 billion for the holiday — meaning that heart-shaped box of chocolates is going to cost ya. Plus, the Trump administration is moving on to plans for possible layoffs of federal workers and is taking aim at energy efficiency standards for home appliances.
Feb 13, 2025•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast For our special series “Unlocking The Gates,” Marketplace special correspondent Lee Hawkins investigates how his family got into their house after a nighttime real estate deal allowed Black families to buy into a Minnesota suburb. Today, we’ll explore It’s about how racial discrimination in Minnesota became national policy after endorsement by wealthy business owners and powerful politicians. But first: There’s not much vacant retail space these days. What gives?...
Feb 13, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the BBC World Service: The Japanese car giants Honda and Nissan have abandoned plans for a merger, which would have created one of the world’s biggest carmakers. It’s been a long road to get here, but we’ll hear about how those plans fell apart. Also on the program: We’ll unpack what’s next in the United Kingdom’s biggest miscarriage of justice — the U.K. post office scandal.
Feb 13, 2025•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
