Week of September 9th, 2024

His new target: overtime pay.

They don’t have the name recognition of a Motel 6, but low prices, little competition and a sense of community help Indian hoteliers withstand inflation.

Boeing is in the headlines again. No, not for 737 Max reasons. Plus, the culture of selling soft drinks and dollar stores aren’t making big bucks.

This strike of more than 30,000 workers comes at a time when Boeing’s already not meeting production goals. And it will also slow the making of everything that goes inside planes, as well.

It’s not just a matter of taste. Basketball and hip-hop have helped Sprite fend off contenders from PepsiCo for years.

Unlike most fast-food chains, Jack’s Family Restaurants has made its mark in a handful of rural regions, boosting public coffers there.

Dollar stores were expanding just a few years ago. Now, they’re closing locations.

China’s top legislature has approved a plan to raise the retirement age as the country faces an aging workforce and shrinking population.

As Hurricane Francine made landfall, 14 million people were under flood watches. But only 6% of American homeowners are insured against flooding.

Despite wage gains, lower-income families have been hit hard by inflation and the expiration of pandemic-era benefits.

In this week’s “Make Me Smart” newsletter, we explain why Europe’s highest court ruled Apple owed billions in unfair tax breaks. Plus, we explore ghost towns put up for sale and do the numbers on Chinese adoptions worldwide.

Nationwide, only 6% of homeowners have flood insurance. Also: a look at the Boeing strike.

From the BBC World Service: Boeing factory workers have voted to strike, threatening aircraft deliveries.

Paresh Dave, senior writer at Wired, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino for “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Learn what you’re graded on when it comes to your credit score and why it’s important.

Hypothetically, how much would you pay to go to space?

But this time may be different. One theory is that weaker data allowed companies to prepare and soften the economic landing.

The so-called yield curve that tracks U.S. Treasury debt has been inverted for 20 months. Plus, credit card trouble and a chocolatier check-in.

A new report suggests that could dampen holiday spirits.

Pro-Palestinian activists have protested gatherings at synagogues that pitch properties in Israel and Israeli-occupied land.

Rebecca Danigelis put all her earnings into her kids’ education. But as one son’s career took off, hers started to crumble.

The union representing 33,000 of Boeing’s workers appears ready to reject a tentative deal reached over the weekend.

Men who work full-time year-round saw their wages rise by 3%, while women who work full-time year-round only saw their wages go up 1.5%.

The new book “She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street” chronicles the barriers women had to break down to become part of major financial institutions.

Some synagogues in the U.S. and Canada are being criticized for hosting real-estate fairs that pitch property sales in Israel and the Occupied Territories to North American Jews.

From the BBC World Service: Meanwhile, gaming companies say they always respect consumer laws

Axios reporter Brady Dale explains why the cryptocurrency industry is spending millions on down-ballot races and supporting candidates from both sides of the political aisle.

Jessica Mozeico, owner of Et Fille Wines, started the business with her father. She hopes she can pass it along to the next generation.

Inflation’s down, but not enough to meet the Federal Reserve’s target. Seems services are the sticky point. Plus, the older the car, the cheaper the car — sort of.

They may come at a lower price point, but there are downsides — like, it can be harder to get a loan to buy one.

Our debate takeaways.

The maker of Campbell’s soup wants to promote a wider range of offerings. How well do such corporate rebrandings work?

Constant requests for feedback can provide useful info for firms. But there are alternatives to overdoing it and annoying customers.

Economist Claudia Sahm says even though the recession predictor is sounding the alarm, we shouldn’t immediately fret.

Airline tickets and eating out cost more in August than July. But price gains are easing in other previously sticky industries.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris sparred over various topics, including tariffs and inflation.

Today, we’ll unpack how markets appear to be digesting Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ performances and policies.

But the subsidies that enabled a wave of new signups since the pandemic are only in place until 2025.

ACA signups have grown significantly since the pandemic began. Plus, the economy played a starring role in last night’s presidential debate.

It’s targeting Target.

From the BBC World Service: Like the U.S., the European Union recently slapped import duties on Chinese electric vehicles.

“It’s hard to be a woman in tech,” says Lisa Mae Brunson, founder of Wonder Women Tech. Pre-pandemic, the industry was eager to invest in DEI. But culture change proved difficult, she says, and the political climate shifted.

How the U.S. military is shaping our climate future.

In “Boys State” and “Girls State,” young politicos simulate democracy during a weeklong camp.

The 922-page set of conservative policy proposals could have sprawling economic implications.

Do passengers or cargo have the right of way on the rails? Plus, the EU ends Google’s search for a strategy to avoid paying a huge fine.

The $2.7 billion levy could affect the conduct of other tech giants watching from the sidelines.

The farm bill’s current price thresholds don’t reflect higher production costs like gas, machinery and chemicals, all of which have gotten more expensive.

Natural gas is a byproduct of oil production, and there’s been a lot of that in Texas. The excess gas has depressed prices.

A new program in the resort town of Aspen, Colorado, is trying to help low-income owners with necessary fixes.

In a rare lawsuit, the Justice Department is trying to make freight lines comply with policy giving preference to Amtrak trains on the tracks.

Think kitchens and un-air-conditioned warehouses. New California rules aim to keep those inside workers safe.

Could growing pessimism about the economy hint at chances for an economic downturn? We’ll discuss.

An increasing number of influencers are earning a living from the idea that you can “manifest” your dreams into reality.

Regulators approved more than $9.7 billion in utility rate increases nationally last year.

In its latest report on restaurants, Toast finds a shift toward restaurant spending in the mornings, away from lunch and dinner.

The restaurant industry has been through a lot in recent years. We’ll hear what trends have transformed the industry.

From the BBC World Service: Two legal cases against Apple and Google concluded today. Both tech companies lost out.

In our “Decoding Democracy” series, Danielle Lee Tomson, research manager at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, explains that rumors of noncitizen voting are fueling uncertainty around the election.

The Fed has likely made up its mind about a rate cut. Plus, we break down the difference between the CPI and PCE inflation measures.

Judith Chabot devotes much of her free time to searching for houses built from kits sold by Sears. “It’s kind of like bird-watching,” she said.

The CPI shows consistently higher inflation than the PCE because it emphasizes different prices. Their gap has been wider than usual.

Many countries and several states have investment funds meant to grow their wealth and boost infrastructure and other projects.

A new deal between Comcast and Diamond Sports Group isn’t enough to keep teams from pursuing new streaming alternatives.

Chinese carmakers can sell affordable EVs because of subsidies, fierce competition, a comprehensive supply chain and cheap labor.

The price of a generator can range from hundreds to many thousands of dollars, putting them out of reach for the most vulnerable.

Plus, the Supreme Court’s “shadow docket” is filling up.

The monthly inflation gauge, to be released Wednesday, could influence how much the central bank cuts rates next week.

Input and borrowing costs for farmers remain high, while prices for commodities have been trending down.

We do the numbers on how much each candidate’s plans will add to the national debt and impact voters.

Purdue’s Farmer Sentiment Index hit an 8-year low in August.

Nobody wants to take the blame in an election year.

After a rough year, Boeing was facing a possible strike to add to its list of problems. But no longer.

From the BBC World Service: Some 3.2 million children under the age of 5 are malnourished in the country.

NASA astronauts have been stuck in space since June. Steven Feldstein, senior fellow at Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict and Governance program, explains why the space agency leaned on SpaceX to help bring them back home by next February.