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Sabri Ben-Achour

Correspondent & Host

SHORT BIO

My job is to do what I can to help all of us understand the economic forces that shape our lives and our world.

What was your first job?

I was a waiter!

What do you think is the hardest part of your job that no one knows?

It can be hard to break down complex topics quickly and fairly.

In your next life, what would your career be?

A chemist or a geneticist, I think.

What’s your most memorable Marketplace moment?

Playing with giant horseshoe crabs under the moonlight as they swam ashore to spawn. (It was for a story on how their blood is used in the medical industry).

What’s the favorite item in your workspace and why?

My plants. I water them when I'm stressed. They get a lot of water.

Latest Stories (539)

All those pandemic savings? They might already be gone

Sep 28, 2023
People in the U.S. saved an estimated $2.1 trillion at one point in the pandemic. By some estimates, that money's pretty much gone.
Howard Huang/Getty Images

A plan for alleviating poverty and climate change

The two challenges are interrelated, and a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute says they must be addressed in tandem.
It'll take investment equal to about 8% of global GDP annually to close both the economic empowerment gap and the net-zero transition gap, according to the McKinsey Global Institute,
China Photos/Getty Images

When — and how much — should I be tipping these days?

Expectations around tipping have changed in the last several years. Here's what to know.
Maybe the standard 15% or 20% tip on table service hasn't really changed, but what about takeout, delivery and the rest of it?
Alex Potemkin via Getty Images

The tipped minimum wage has origins in slavery

And that legacy means a worker can be paid as little as $2.13 an hour at the federal level.
Nikola Stojadinovic via Getty Images

The economy apparently shrank and grew at the same time

Sep 15, 2023
Depending on how you measure it, the economy either grew or shrank, according to BEA statistics.
Gross domestic product, or GDP, and gross domestic income, or GDI, are different ways to measure the economy.
primeimages/Getty Images

A lot goes into pricing a stock IPO

Sep 14, 2023
And that's before the shares even get to the P in the acronym: the public. First there's the "roadshow," later, hopefully, the "pop."
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Let's ask our crystal ball: Where will inflation be in 6 months?

Sep 13, 2023
While inflation for goods may be back to pre-pandemic levels then, higher inflation for services could stick around.
With "good weather and the continuing availability of food," food inflation could trickle lower in six months, says Jake Hanley of investment firm Teucrium ETFs.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Census: Income fell, poverty increased in 2022

Sep 12, 2023
The expiration of pandemic-era government benefits is partially responsible for the increases in poverty.
Above, a food pantry, in Queens, New York. With pandemic-era benefits ending, post-tax real incomes fell 14% for the lowest earners in the U.S. in 2022.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Is climate change pushing more investors to ESG funds?

Rich Nuzum of Mercer says ESG funds reflect concern for the planet, but this year they’ve underperformed the overall stock market.
DNY59 via Getty Images

Startups pitch banks as alternative to VCs

As venture capital becomes scarce, demand is rising for venture debt — the kind of loan Silicon Valley Bank provided before it collapsed.
Venture debt is a specialized bank loan that doesn’t involve an ownership stake. Silicon Valley Bank was a leader in the field.
Ong-ad Nuseewor via Getty Images