Alex Schroeder

Producer

Alex is a producer for the “Marketplace Morning Report.” He's based in Queens, New York. Alex joined Marketplace in 2020, working as MMR's digital producer. After a little over a year, he became the show's overnight producer, getting up far before the crack of dawn to put together the day's newscasts with the host and team. Now, he works daylight hours, preparing interviews for the following morning and producing long-term specials and series. Before Marketplace, Alex worked on several national public radio shows produced out of WBUR in Boston. He was both a radio and digital producer with “On Point,” “Here & Now” and “Only a Game.” Alex also worked at The Boston Globe after graduating from Tufts University. Alex's interests outside of work tend to fall into one of two categories: film or soccer. (Come on Arsenal!) He’s always looking for ways to cover the economics of entertainment and sports on the “Marketplace Morning Report.”

Latest from Alex Schroeder

Mar 23, 2023
Calls for more banking regulation come from Congress
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
In the wake of turmoil in the banking system, some in Congress argue the solution is more regulation. Republican Sen. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren have unveiled legislation that would add a new watchdog to oversee the Federal Reserve itself. That’s just one part of the conversation happening in Washington about tightening regulation. Plus, will banking system jitters do the Federal Reserve’s job for it? Also, keeping an eye on the housing market, which is starting to show some traces of stabilization after new home sales rose unexpectedly in February. And, how China hopes to boost its population and, by extension, its economy.
Read MoreDownload
Mar 23, 2023
What’s next for financial regulators after the banking jitters?
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The recent bank rescues should serve as a wake-up call for regulators to do more, says senior economics contributor Chris Farrell.
Read MoreDownload
Mar 23, 2023
Why the Fed decided to raise interest rates yesterday
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The Federal Reserve, after much hand-wringing amongst market watchers, ended up raising interest rates by 0.25% yesterday, signaling the central bank’s emphasis on fighting inflation despite recent instability in the financial sector. We look into what went into Chair Jerome Powell’s calculus on the rate decision. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sought to assuage monetary hawks yesterday, saying that the government would not implement a blanket policy of fully insuring bank deposits. And, China’s population is changing as many workers age, but some say the demographic shift isn’t as big of a deal as it’s made out to be.
Read MoreDownload
Mar 23, 2023
Rising rates: inflation vs bank balance sheets
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
From the BBC World Service: After the Federal Reserve, it’s the turn of the Bank of England to make a decision on interest rates. Central banks are juggling two major concerns — inflation and stability in the banking sector. Since SVB collapsed, we’ve seen how higher rates affect the value of assets like bond portfolios held by banks. But in the UK, that decision may be clearer because inflation remains stubbornly high — markets are certainly expecting another rise. Meanwhile, there’s a tussle in the European Union over the date to phase out gas-powered and diesel cars. And, what’s it like doing business in Iraq 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion?
Read MoreDownload
Mar 22, 2023
LA educators continue strike, aided by high demand for jobs
Educators, teachers and other employees at the Los Angeles Unified School District are continuing their strike for higher pay. We look into how broader labor trends are helping demonstrators on the ground make their case. And, we talk with Boston College Law School professor Patricia McCoy about how the government’s recent actions to calm anxiety in the financial sector are adding to so-called “moral hazard”.
Read MoreDownload
Mar 22, 2023
“Moral hazard” at banks isn’t just a theoretical concern
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
According to Boston College’s Patricia McCoy, data underscore concerns about the government’s role in risk-taking at banks.
Read MoreDownload
Mar 22, 2023
As states pass pay transparency laws, is their impact clear?
Eight states thus far have passed laws to boost pay transparency in job listings, aiming to grant applicants more information in a competitive job market. We look at the experience of New York City after implementing its own rule. Chris Farrell explains how to make the most of federal deposit insurance — and how someone can get more than $250,000 in the bank insured. And, Google yesterday released Bard, its competitor to Microsoft’s AI chatbot, ChatGPT.
Read MoreDownload
Mar 22, 2023
How Ramadan drives a multi-billion dollar date industry
From the BBC World Service: As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan gets underway, we look at the significance of dates and the multi-billion dollar business of supplying those breaking their fasts. Plus, Ukraine gets a $15bn boost from the International Monetary Fund, and we hear about the class action launched in Indonesia by parents whose children died or were injured by contaminated cough syrup.
Read MoreDownload
Mar 21, 2023
Home sales rebound after a year of decline, but uncertainty looms
David Paul Morris/Getty Images
The latest data on U.S. home sales showed a huge rebound of 14.5% in February, reversing a trend of decline that lasted more than a year. That said, the market is still fraught with uncertainty, especially amid the recent jitters in the global financial sector. We talk to Guy LeBas of Janney Montgomery Scott about Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent announcement that the government would insure the balance of deposits at smaller banks. And, prior to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, both institutions received favorable credit ratings from firms like Moody’s, prompting questions about what ratings are actually useful for.
Read MoreDownload
Mar 21, 2023
Loans could become harder to get as financial sector reels
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Amid the continued fallout from the failure of two mid-sized U.S. banks and the acquisition of Credit Suisse, financial institutions are likely to start applying greater scrutiny to the loans they give out. We look at what could move banks’ calculus in that direction…and who would be most affected. Another consequence of the recent turmoil in the financial sector has been lower oil prices, which have seen one of their biggest slumps in recent years. And, a fact-check of claims — often made by prominent Republicans — that so-called “woke investing” caused the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank with Washington Post reporter Julian Mark.
Read MoreDownload