Week of May 27th, 2024

Plus, Kai’s prediction for future interest rate cuts.

Trillions of dollars worth of business goes unreported in this economy — street vending, farm labor, babysitting and more. Let’s do the numbers.

U.S. consumers are pulling back on spending. Plus, why GM is discontinuing one of its classic car models.

The “Members Only” novelist goes deep on the history and themes behind “A Passage to India” in this week’s newsletter.

Plus we get smarter about sunscreen and do the numbers on overtourism in this week’s summery edition of the newsletter.

The cartel wants to manipulate production to push up prices and demand.

Markets end mixed; Core PCE inflation cools; Gap shares pop; Anchor Brewing finds buyer.

As you might expect, it’s hard to say.

Inspired by social media influencers, adolescents are splurging on high-end fragrances, journalist Callie Holtermann reports.

GM will discontinue the once-popular mid-price family sedan in late 2024, to make way for more EV production at its plant in Kansas City.

Despite a contraction after the initial onset of the war, Israel’s economy has rebounded dramatically.

PCE inflation was at an annual rate of 2.7%; Cconsumer spending slowed in April to a 0.2% annual gain; eurozone inflation climbs to 2.6%; Saudi monarchy to sell $12 billion in shares of oil giant Aramco.

How was Israel’s economy doing before Oct. 7 and the war in Gaza?

Starting next year, a lot more people will be able to file their taxes electronically directly with the IRS without a middleman.

From the BBC World Service: A look at the conversation between China’s defense minister, Admiral Dong Jun, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at a security conference in Singapore.

Jewel Burks Solomon, managing partner at Collab Capital, joins Marketplace’s Lily Jamali for this week’s Tech Bytes: Week in Review.

Taxpayers told Marketplace they were satisfied with the service, and were able to save money this year.

Can AI companies be trusted to govern themselves?

Revised GDP for the first quarter shows slower growth than the original estimate. Plus, how cyberattacks affect small businesses.

Scanlon explains her philosophy of economic education in this excerpt from her book, “In This Economy? How Money & Markets Really Work.”

Victor Zamudio, co-owner of Brown Soul Brewing Co. in South Gate, California, hopes his brewery can serve as “a beacon for others” looking to start a business.

The annual expansion was revised down to 1.3%. That could indicate softening elsewhere, including trade partners like Canada and China.

A labor shortage in manufacturing seems to be tempting them.

Markets fell; GDP revision shows slower economy; Boeing meets with FAA on safety plan; Salesforce loses fifth of value.

Donald Trump just became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes. Jurors deliberated for 9.5 hours.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise, and small businesses are getting hammered.

A contextual look at the economic toll of war.

GDP grew 1.3%, as consumer spending on services held up; wholesale inventories advance 0.2%; Dollar Tree to reopen 99 Cents Only stores; initial jobless claims remain low.

Thursday marks the end of the 90-day period the FAA gave Boeing to come up with a plan to improve its safety and quality-control practices.

The wave that hit after the pandemic foreclosure moratorium first lifted has generally worked its way through the system.

Wholesalers supply both retailers and manufacturers.

Today, we hear about the impact of the war in Gaza on the Palestinian economy, as well as what economic recovery could look like.

From the BBC World Service: A volcano is erupting roughly 30 miles southwest of Reykjavik. What’s the impact?

“It would be detrimental to my business,” says Desiree Hill, who says she tripled her income in a year after posting about the cars she rebuilds.

We visit an Arizona neighborhood grappling with the impact of a new semiconductor plant, which is driving development and disrupting lifestyles.

Oil merger mania continues; American Airlines sees a dismal summer; Pee-Wee’s house is for sale.

Plus, the return of the pandas!

The investment and growth spurred by government dollars are heightening competition among residents, business owners and local officials.

American Airlines has revised lower its summer forecast; ConocoPhillips to purchase Marathon Oil; China’s economic forecast gets a boost; another former FTX executive is headed to prison.

Trades must be finalized by the end of the following business day to minimize failures in volatile markets.

Stock trades must now be finalized by the end of the following business day. Previously, it was two business days.

Prices have climbed persistently, yet the service is persistently scarce. That, in turn, hurts kids and undermines the labor force.

“Investing in our children is something we don’t do in this country,” noted KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk.

From the BBC World Service: Australian mining giant BHP wants to buy rival Anglo American, but the deal isn’t going smoothly.

ProPublica reporter Sharon Lerner explains how manufacturer 3M kept the dangers of PFAS from the public, through the lens of a former 3M scientist.

Plus, the “chickenization” of the berry industry.

Despite decades of conflict, the two economies are intertwined. The U.S. has warned that ending the relationship would be disastrous.

If the Israeli finance minister’s threat is carried out, the Palestinian economy — and the Palestinian Authority — could be starved of revenue.

“Soybeans are down 18 cents today and then they could go up 50 tomorrow. Who knows?” said April Hemmes, a soybean farmer in Iowa.

Turns out what we’re seeing may not be optimism as much as less pessimism.

Consumer confidence ticked up; home prices set a record; a big oil merger gets the thumbs-up from shareholders.

There are many different metrics out there that may not be entirely applicable across locales.

Experts warn rising insurance costs could depress property values in risky areas.

The consumer confidence index improved after three months of decline; home prices hit another record in March; T-Mobile struck a deal to purchase much of U.S. Cellular; bond investor Gross says Trump presidency would be worse for markets.

The concentration of oil refineries along the Gulf Coast makes them especially vulnerable to big storms.

U.S. refineries, which are concentrated on the Gulf Coast, could be especially impacted by destructive storms, prodding prices up.

Eight months into the Israel-Hamas war, here’s what the Palestinian economy looks like.

Beneath the tremendous human suffering wrought by war in Gaza is a harsh economic reality.

From the BBC World Service: Why bend it like Beckham when you can buy it like Beckham?

Marketplace’s Lily Jamali and Kimberly Adams discuss the do’s and don’ts of talking to friends and family about election-related misinformation.

Get ready for a high-speed, nail-biting, action-packed adventure!

It has to do with drought in Vietnam and Brazil, but also with rising global demand.

The measure, which also increased year over year, tracks big, one-off purchases like machinery for manufacturing.

Higher global demand for the drink and climate change’s effect on supply are behind the upward trend.

With advancements in tech and AI, outsourcing looks different now.

The most populated North American metro area is facing a “Day Zero” scenario, and longstanding issues with infrastructure and water management are part of the problem.

A day in the life of a struggling, but hopeful, entrepreneur.

The Federal Election Commission says crypto donations are subject to the same rules and contribution limits as conventional contributions are — but some states ban them, as the currencies are harder to trace and regulate.

eBay reported a 400% increase in listings with the word “thrifted” in the description, but brick-and-mortar shops are also benefiting from the trend.

Airlines say they’ve done a lot to ramp up for strong travel demand but are being hindered by a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Forecasters are predicting an active, dangerous year of hurricanes.

The Trump campaign recently announced it would start accepting crypto campaign contributions, but transparency issues can come with such donations.

From the BBC World Service: We hear the takeaways from Paula Vennells’ testimony in the inquiry of the Post Office scandal.

BBC’s Shiona McCallum takes us along on her visit with Dr. Wasim Ahmed, handler of an AI-operating robodog.