Week of April 29th, 2019

Notice anything different around here?  Welcome to the new Marketplace experience. While you’ve been listening, our team has been hard at work building what we’re calling our “digital ecosystem” — a hub that connects our website, podcasts, social media pages, newsletters and online experiences. The goal? To better serve you the quality content you expect […]

One hundred years ago this week, protests set China on a path to scientific modernity.

Workers’ bargaining power is greater.

It’s jobs day, so we talk labor markets, unemployment rates, and about the Fed. Also, a little bit about the history of technology in China.

Alina Morse is the CEO of a multimillion-dollar candy company. Her dad works for her.

Companies showed Congress their gadgets, steering the conversation away from privacy concerns and regulations.

Could the hot jobs market overheat the entire economy? The federal consumer watchdog gives small banks a new level of privacy. Plus, we look the widening gender gap.

The country’s biggest brands — Trojan, Durex and Lifestyles — have taken most of the hit.

Maine this week became the first state to ban polystyrene for single-use food and drink containers.

The unemployment rate for teenagers in March was 12.8% compared to the national figure of 3.8%.

Fewer teens are getting jobs, due, in part, to not really looking for them. Maine becomes the first state to ban styrofoam, but some say these prohibitions aren’t very environmentally friendly. Plus, the Consumer Electronics Show comes to Capitol Hill.

From the BBC World Service… Investor hunger for Beyond Meat sent shares soaring on their Wall Street debut. Pepsi backs down from a fight with Indian farmers. Plus, the campaign for a four-day working week is gaining traction.

The company’s business model isn’t changing — it’s still collecting your info for ads.

Facebook’s shift to more secure messaging does not mean it won’t be collecting data about you. Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood talks with Carolyn Everson, Facebook’s vice president of global marketing solutions.

The issue of gender diversity in the workplace is just not limited to the CEO’s office or to upper management. Boardrooms are experiencing the same problem. Despite attempts to increase the number of women board directors in recent years, the overall makeup of boardrooms is still mostly male. Why? Kai Ryssdal spoke with Wall Street […]

The fundraising comes at a pivotal time for the company.

There are several reasons for the frenzy.

We take to the high seas to explore “trademark squatting” of American businesses in China. Plus: Why stock buybacks are surging and why Hollywood isn’t making as many rom-coms. 

Additional production isn't translating to additional income.

Wesley Morris, writer and New York Times critic, reflects on its seeming demise.

The practice of third parties snapping up brand names concerns foreign firms.

Inflation is low, but the Fed chair calls it “transitory.” After years of decline, the number of children without health insurance is on the rise. Plus, the condom business isn’t what it used to be.

Fiat Chrysler is following the lead of GM and Ford and moving to quarterly sales reports.

General Mills last year bought Blue Buffalo Pet Products for $8 billion.

Get your pastels and mint juleps ready, the hottest horse race of the year is on the horizon.

The study estimates that some 4 million U.S. kids are now uninsured.

What does the Fed’s decision to leave interest rates untouched mean for inflation? Auto makers shift from monthly sales numbers to quarterly reports. Plus, some big names in “people food” are cashing in the multibillion-dollar pet food industry.

From the BBC World Service… The U.K.’s target for lowering carbon emissions has been criticized as unobtainable. Activists shareholders at the Barclays bank’s annual general meeting. Plus, we look at the rise of female gambling addicts.

In a place where the median home price is $830,000, what’s all that wealth going to do to housing prices?

If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

AARP and the pharmaceutical industry are running ad campaigns in an attempt to shape eventual legislation.

Users will soon be able to make purchases without leaving the app.

The combined company plans to invest in digital books.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly report doesn't count jobs down on the farm. We explain why.

For some, it’s a matter of necessity. For others, it’s a matter of choice — and the distinction is class-based. Plus, the Fed’s decision to keep interest rates flat, and the race to create more plant-based proteins. 

Americans aged 65 and older are more likely to keep working into old age.

The versatile legume can be found in pasta, milk, pet food and the “Beyond Burger.”

In some cases, groups trying to solve the problem are competing for funding.

The company is finding ways to attract more customers.

What role for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after their child is born?

Jobs numbers come out Friday, but private data show the job market is hot. With its acquisition of Aetna, CVS has moved towards in-house health services. Plus, how some in “food deserts” are gaining access to fruits and vegetables.

Provisions of a 1996 U.S. law cracking down on Cuba will be fully implemented on Thursday.

A new study finds that raising the minimum wage could prevent suicides. The U.S. will begin to implement  sanctions against Cuba. Plus, we take a look at the booming business around the forthcoming royal bundle of joy.

From the BBC World Service… Paris is bracing itself for May Day protests. Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has claimed victory over an attempted coup. Plus, can the Trump administration reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero?

The Tribeca Film Festival is giving filmmakers and fans a chance to try VR experiences.

The Tribeca Film Festival, which is underway in New York, features more than 30 immersive movies, or as the term goes, “experiences.”

What's good (or bad) for corporations may not be good for the economy overall.

How the criminal underworld operates the ransom business.

Honolulu’s housing market is one of the most expensive in the country.

Ransom — and the insurance that covers it — is a big business. But first: how are tariffs affecting American businesses? Plus: With home prices dragging, are we headed for a buyer’s market?

A 740 today may not mean the same thing as a decade ago.

New data shows price growth has been slowing for nearly in a year in some markets.

Experts say FOSTA-SESTA has pushed sex workers off the internet and onto the street.

Democratic leaders with meet with President Trump Tuesday to discuss a comprehensive infrastructure package

The filmmaker has been praised as a “trailblazer in black cinema."

It’s not that hard to get a job these days, but it does take a little more work to get a raise. Cleveland and Ohio go the state’s supreme court to decide the fate of the city’s local hire ordinance.

The gene-editing tool is ushering in a biotech revolution. Here's what you need to know.

A new survey suggests that 35% of the American workers with paid vacation time plan to use less than half of it this year.

Why public-private infrastructure partnerships get complicated. A new survey suggests more than one-third of recipients will leave paid vacation on the table this year. Plus, what happens when makers of specialty products just stop making?

The Supreme Court of Ohio will decide.

From the BBC World Service… Economic growth in Europe strengthened at the start of 2019. Also, a cross-party group of British politicians are backing a “Green New Deal” for the U.K. Finally, Japan’s Emperor Akihito has abdicated.

Will we get a 5G iPhone faster this way?

Host Molly Wood talks with Anshel Sag, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, who says all this drama is going down in … San Diego.

Barge line president talks about dealing with flood conditions and his trip to Capitol Hill.

New data from the Labor Department show more high school graduates enrolled in college last year than in 2017. Nearly 69 percent of 2018 high school graduates went to college, compared to 67 percent the year before. College enrollment has steadily risen over the last decade or so. Click the audio player above to hear […]

Drivers know that gas prices can be kind of all over the map. It varies quite a bit by state. And sometimes you find notable differences between stations in the same confined area, even though most factors affecting cost such as local taxes, the cost of crude, transportation fees,  are applicable to all stations in […]

New environmental rules could transform stove makers' business.

And how, or why, might that status be revoked?

The hotel group is preparing to launch a new division.

The current rate of inflation is well below target.

Google and Amazon have both created new, free, ad-based tiers of their music services, cutting at Spotify's main profit model.

We're talking soft lighting, colorful wallpaper, even cricket sounds.

The artist used a new feature of YouTube's to launch her latest single.

A slew of new companies are selling bacteria they say can improve our health.

The company is trying to retain its competitive edge.

In response to anxieties, Paolo Arrigo of Franchi Seeds is selling Brexit "survival kits." They're a hit.

Marriott, the world’s largest hotel operator, is taking on Airbnb with its own home-rental platform. Plus, we predict the Fed’s move on rates tomorrow and explore a new trend in corporate America: fancy bathroom renovations.

Consumers were spending a lot last month, according to new government data. An African swine flu epidemic is affecting China’s food supply. Plus, Spotify faces stiff competition as Amazon and Google enter the streaming music business.

Bayer shareholders send a resounding rebuke against management. As fuel prices rise, we look at how gas stations stay competitive. Plus, the average FICO credit score is up, but are these figures being inflated?

From the BBC World Service… Spain’s socialist party has won the most seats in the general election. Should the U.K. scrap the penny coin? And, the fight for votes in India’s election has entered its fourth round. 

Today's voice assistants and smart devices can act like salespeople who knock on your door.

Think of smart devices in your home kind of like an army of door-to-door salesmen offering encyclopedias or vacuum cleaners.