Week of January 20th, 2025

A stockpile of oil kept in four large caverns can help with a rainy day.

The yearslong bankruptcy case could be coming to a close.

Private label goods just had a record sales year. Are consumers abandoning brand loyalty for savings, or have in-house brands stepped up their game?

This seamstress turns old sweatshirts, towels, and other thrifted materials into fresh fits for professional sporting events.

Private labels, like Target’s Everspring or Costco’s Kirkland, have long appealed to budget-minded shoppers, but consumers are increasingly turning to them for perishable foods — a sign of trust.

As part of our new series, “The Age of Work,” Marketplace is exploring the aging U.S. labor force.

Crypto experts say the coins may not be a reliable investment but they bring welcome attention to the industry.

A new $7.4 billion settlement with states has been reached with Purdue Pharma and its Sackler family owners. We’ll unpack.

“It’s a slow drum beat of states starting to consider ways to protect citizens’ rights,” said Albany Law School professor Ray Brescia.

Some conservatives view the Supreme Court ruling overturning Chevron deference and the Trump administration’s light approach to regulation as a positive combination.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump launched meme coins just before the inauguration. But not everyone is happy about it.

From the BBC World Service: The Bank of Japan has upped interest rates to 0.5%, a move many hope could be a step toward growth.

Anita Ramaswamy, columnist at The Information, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino for “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

As fear of mass deportations spreads, workers are lying low.

The data is in line with pre-COVID claims volume, and the job market often sags in January.

24-hour diners have been disappearing in New York. Reporter Priya Krishna worked the graveyard shift at one that reopened and found it very lively.

Although new unemployment claims barely grew last week, continuing claims hit a multiyear high. Plus, luxury EVs and a climate-friendly home.

Stability reigns. The economy has about 7 million more jobs than before COVID hit, and both quits and layoffs are low.

This couple in Fairbanks, Alaska saved money by DIY-ing their own home build.

The company unveils a more upscale model of its Cadillac Lyriq, an EV with a starting price of $80,000.

Zillow reported that Denver, San Antonio and Austin were the only metro areas where rents fell.

For our Economic Pulse series, we’re taking a closer look at essential workers’ experiences during the height of the pandemic.

We’ll learn more about Hester Peirce, who is heading a task force to develop crypto regulatory framework for the SEC.

Cleveland, Milwaukee and Philadelphia saw the biggest rises. The Midwest remains a relative haven of affordability.

A particularly contagious strain of bird flu continues to spread, killing flocks and causing the price of eggs to nearly double from a year ago.

Sadly, we’re not talking about hot air balloons or superheroes. Today, we’re talking about rising home prices.

From the BBC World Service: The European Union’s new trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, has suggested a new customs arrangement could lessen trade burdens.

Launched as a volunteer-sourced wildfire tracking app in Northern California, Watch Duty has integrated a wide range of data and expanded to more than 20 states. Chief Tech Officer David Merritt explains how he and his colleagues created a unique service.

Would you take your paycheck in TrumpCoin?

That’s the recipe for the consumer spending-driven economy. Plus, wildfire relief donations and executive order mumbo jumbo.

Patrick Smith of Loftus Ranches relies on temporary workers to tend his crops. Immigration policy has broad impact, he says.

The company says its 3% sales increase came in part through customers buying bigger packs of things at Costco and other club stores.

Used clothing is an especially unwieldy gift for aid groups and disaster victims.

The Office of Management and Budget clarified that the EO limits disbursements for climate-related projects, like EV charger infrastructure. Other funding can keep flowing, if agencies check in first.

Though many households are faltering on credit card and auto loan payments, wealthier Americans are keeping the spending metrics robust.

Donald Trump says he plans to declare a national energy emergency — something no other president has done.

An energy emergency declaration might be unprecedented, but the end goals are not.

The U.S. provides around 18% of the WHO’s funding — more than any other nation. A pullout would also affect data-sharing.

The home construction market has already been dealing with shortages of skilled labor and building materials, along with expensive construction loans. Those factors will add to the costs of rebuilding communities destroyed by fires.

As LA looks to rebuild over the next few years, communities will face pricey construction loans and shortages of building materials and laborers.

From the BBC World Service: Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been competing for Indian consumers for decades, but the brands are facing fresh competition.

Michael Donihue, interim director of the Davis Institute for AI at Colby College, says professors have been leading the conversation about the use of the technology in academia, approaching the tool with an open mind.

What to know about the Make America Healthy Again movement.

Employees are sharing some of the wealth generated by productivity gains, aided in many cases by automation.

We break down some of President Donald Trump’s policy announcements that don’t track with industry realities. Plus, wage growth continues to outpace inflation.

After losing their home to a wildfire three years ago, this couple aimed to make their new property fire-resilient.

They’ve been ponying up cash for years. Now they want dividends.

Steel slag captures carbon from the atmosphere. Companies with climate goals — and an Ohio motocross raceway — are making use of it.

Even cars assembled in the U.S. often include parts from Mexico and Canada, on whose goods President Trump has promised to impose 25% tariffs.

Netflix doesn’t have much room to grow subscribers, with 300 million already. In the future, it will likely tout revenue and user engagement.

As the second Trump administration begins, people have kept up their spending — but not all for the same reasons.

The Theater of Public Policy presents complex, thorny issues utilizing improv comedy.

We’ll discuss the first 24 hours under President Donald Trump’s new administration and hear how bond markets are responding.

Concerns about energy reliability and extreme weather in states like Texas have boosted interest in solar panels, batteries and insulation.

Because yesterday wasn’t the day. Today, we’ll get to President Donald Trump’s executive orders right out of the gate.

Trump promised tariffs on Day One. None have been announced so far.

So far, overall market impacts have been relatively muted, through cryptocurrencies have rallied.

The “effective accelerationism” ideology emerged as a response to pessimism and a source of pride in what the industry creates, says writer Nadia Asparouhova.

Tariffs, major weather events and even political bias have obscured trends and challenged experts to figure out the takeaways.

With inventory reduced and fire risk increased, both home prices and insurance rates could rise in Southern California.

The fall was marked by a contentious election, natural disasters and labor strikes. Can economists still trust the numbers? Plus, corporate concentration in the retail landscape.

In the U.S., it’s partly due to expectations of a stronger, more inflationary future economy with bigger budget deficits.

Some call shifts in the industry a retail apocalypse as more companies close locations or file for bankruptcy.

Revenue and attendance have rebounded from the COVID downturn, boosted by diversity and inclusion efforts that drew a broader fan base.

The political change could stir discord among workers who need to collaborate. But employers can preserve productivity and possibly friendships.

Today: A Treasury Secretary pick outlines his economic thesis, and a lieutenant governor braces for conservative policies.

It’s Inauguration Day, so don’t be surprised by political talk today. But how can these conversations be handled in the workplace?

From the BBC World Service: Billionaire wealth surged by a staggering $2 trillion last year. So let’s talk about the billionaire boom.

The outgoing president tightened oversight on antitrust issues and artificial intelligence, though he funded an expansion of domestic chip production. Today, many tech leaders are celebrating with Trump at the inauguration.