Update on Dec. 30, 2021: The polls are now closed and the results are in! Thank you to everyone who voted for their picks of 2021. Scroll down to see the results for each poll question.
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There were a lot of jokes about how 2020 was one giant dumpster fire. But 2021 didn’t let us off too easily either. There were some bright spots, like improving unemployment numbers and rising wages, but the year also saw a continued child care shortage, a new COVID-19 variant (or two) and multiplying supply chain woes.
We looked back at the year through Marketplace’s reporting, from the weird to the insightful to the touching, and invite you to weigh in on the year that was. Vote below, and winners in each category will be announced on Dec. 30.
Most surprising business story of the year:
A: That time GameStop became the hottest stock around
B: The NFT craze that won’t end
C: Malls turning to luxury retailers to survive (RIP deep fried everything food court)
D: When Zillow outbid everyone for houses and then took a $400 million loss in one quarter
The economic story you most want to leave behind:
A: Two-thirds of people in advanced economies are poorer than their parents
B: Why the labor shortage may go on for much longer
C: Some working moms are once again at risk of leaving their jobs
D: How vaccine hesitancy could affect the economy
Company that had the biggest impact on our lives this year:
A: Facebook
B: Evergrande
C: Zillow
D: Tesla
Story that taught you the most/explainer of the year:
A: Can a platinum coin solve the debt-ceiling standoff?
B: How Fed “tapering” can make mortgages more expensive
C. Why older, single women are buying camper vans
D. How COVID-19 made high-frequency data a go-to economic indicator
Favorite “I’ve Always Wondered” column:
A: Why doesn’t cereal come in resealable bags?
B: What if the U.S. had a national maximum wage?
C: Why are the waitlists for child care so long?
D: How $75,000 became the threshold for receiving a stimulus check
Most relatable “My Economy” story:
A: How a choir teacher found new purpose during the pandemic
B: Leaving the lab to hunt mosquitoes in the swamp
C: After losing her job, this woman turned to at-home voiceover work
D: How one primary care doctor found her role in the fight against COVID-19
Favorite Marketplace reporting project/series of the year:
A: How We Survive: The climate crisis is here. And we’re looking for solutions.
B: Temporarily Unavailable: How stuff moves around the world … or doesn’t.
C: Quitting Time: Reimagining work as a record number of employees leave their jobs voluntarily.
D: The Block: Rebuilding a West Baltimore community one house at a time.
Most insightful interview:
A. Business is strong, mall manager says, but virus still stirs worries
B. Are we headed for a Roaring ’20s economy?
C. Negotiating during the Great Resignation
D. How some workers changed their careers during the pandemic
Most amusing story you read or heard on Marketplace:
A: A real-life real estate horror story
B: A whiff of history — recreating some of Europe’s most evocative smells
C: Will Brits embrace economic recovery under the mistletoe this Christmas?
D: We’re doing shutters all wrong
Quote of the year:
A: Los Angeles-based feng shui consultant Francoise Courty-Dan: “Here I see, sleeping to the east. I see extramarital affairs. And I need to tell you something else. Every single time I have seen this energy, it happens.”
B: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.: “Why does it cost so much for farmers to pay for seeds or fertilizer, get their goods to market? Look at monopolies: We’ve got monopolies in everything from cat food to caskets.”
C: Elizabeth Yuko, contributing writer to Bloomberg CityLab: “This is not a paid endorsement … just a New Yorker with a bladder.”
D: Barry Ritholtz, co-founder, chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management: “Whenever I hear people say, ‘We can’t hire people,’ they’re leaving out half of the question, which is ‘at these wages.’”
Term/phrase you never want to hear in 2022:
A: HODL (hold on for dear life)
B: Meme stock
C: She-cession
D: SPAC
Marketplace-commissioned musical number of the year:
A: “Who’s Yellen Now?”
B: “Who’s Yellen Now?”
C: “Who’s Yellen Now?”
D: Or “Who’s Yellen Now?”
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