Week of March 24th, 2025

Conventional budgeting wisdom, like the 30% rent rule, is usually based on gross income, but experts say these guidelines are just a starting point. Personal circumstances could change your tax bill and therefore your budget.

Is the AI boom fizzling out?

Consumer anxieties may be catching up with their spending behavior. Also: a look into a water-saving pilot project and the compost supply chain.

The experiment is part of a project to cut per-capita water use to just 13 gallons a day.

Consumers have been saying how fed up they are with inflation. But they keep on buying stuff, says Stephen Brown at Capital Economics. 

The proposal backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis would allow some teenagers to work full time on school days and take on overnight shifts.

Student loan interest was paused during the pandemic, but that ended in September. That’s just one reason experts expect more borrowers to default on their loans.

In recent years Crocs have become a Gen Z fashion staple in spite of both aesthetic and environmental objections.

People are trading recession theories online based on cultural observations. But how much can culture tell us about the economy?

The current economic landscape, marked by tariffs and other policy-driven uncertainty, could be a particularly difficult one for Fed decision-makers to navigate in the next few months.

Applications for mortgages at Bank of America increased about 20% more than typical between January and March. Here’s what that says about the housing market.

A look at how cities, farmers and compost brokers help close the loop on organic waste.

Student loan borrowers are facing a new reality with most pandemic-era loan pauses and forgiveness programs gone.

From the BBC World Service: As Canada’s prime minister says the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner, Canadian businesses that work with American companies are facing a tough decision: continue their trading relationships or try to bring more operations and supply chains home.

Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino for “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Understand your financial options to minimize student debt

The Trump administration has been targeting international students and faculty for voicing support for Palestinians.

To tax or not to tax? The uncertainty alone could be a drag on economic growth. Plus: train heists, and student loan borrowers and credit scores.

Between miles-long trains and an e-commerce boom, cargo on freight trains has become easy pickings for robbers.

With missed student loan payments now affecting credit scores, borrowers face tough choices.

Yale’s Martha Gimbel tracks frequently updated information like weekly unemployment claims and private-sector reports.

Tariffs, uncertainty for businesses and consumer caution make a slowdown more likely, some economists say.

Because if we want to buy imports, we either have to export an equivalent amount or borrow money.

Eric Brightwell happily lives without paying for gas and parking, even in LA. He’s found lots of great things in walking and biking distance.

Economists say that if foreigners buy fewer American goods, then the federal government needs to spend less, but that’s not happening.

We parse the impact of new tariffs on cars and car parts. Plus, how can executive actions complicate financial planning for people and businesses?

The Visible Hand Project helps remind workers of their civic responsibilities and bets that civic wellness can help overcome divisiveness.

The gutting of USAID has derailed aid programs around the world. Some worry whether critical food shipments will be delivered.

Children, especially, could suffer as a result of cuts to USAID funding and staff. We’ll learn more.

From the BBC World Service: The global auto industry has been rocked by sweeping 25% tariffs on all imports of cars and car parts to the U.S.

“Virtual power plants” enlist users in producing electricity and balancing supply and demand. But there’s no tech fix for getting people to sign up, as Rice University’s Daniel Cohan explains.

Yemen’s economic collapse and humanitarian crisis.

President Trump favors import taxes partly because they’ll shrink the U.S. trade deficit, he argues. But if Americans buy fewer imports, foreigners are likely to buy fewer U.S. goods and lend the U.S. less money too.

What the abrupt closure of a popular restaurant group in Shanghai says about the Chinese economy.

High costs and uncertain economic conditions are motivating some to “pause their growth plans,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says.

The “official” rate only counts unemployed people who have looked in the last four weeks. Five other rates track other kinds of unemployment.

Funds must be spent in specific ways and won’t fill the gap left by cuts, says Elizabeth Popp Berman of the University of Michigan.

When prices go up for foreign steel and aluminum because of tariffs, domestic producers are given a sort of green light to raise their own prices.

Companies that buy metal for their products are facing higher prices from both foreign and domestic suppliers.

Ship traffic is back to about 90% of where it was prior to the bridge collapse.

One year after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge disrupted trade at the Port of Baltimore, how are nearby businesses faring?

From the BBC World Service: Russia and Ukraine have agreed to “eliminate the use of force” in the Black Sea after parallel talks with U.S. negotiators in Saudi Arabia.

Last Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission held its first roundtable discussion on whether cryptocurrency should be regulated as a financial asset. Axios’ Brady Dale explains why that’s such a complicated question to answer.

We’ll break down the economics of rare earths.

The latest reading marks the fourth straight month of decline. How will this affect consumer spending and the labor market? Plus, why tariffs are making investors wary of the U.S.

Indeed reports a jump in applications by government workers, especially those at agencies targeted by the Department of Government Efficiency.

The Trump administration’s tariffs are likely to slow down the U.S. economy, making U.S. companies and government bonds a less attractive asset. International investors have started to think about investing elsewhere.

The biggest cost in desalination is energy, and this company says its approach uses at least 30% less of it.

Pessimism can start to shape reality if people put off asking for a raise or decide to take a worse job then they might have otherwise.

Conference Board surveys point to unease about job security and raise questions about Americans’ future spending.

Usually, the federal government spends to help people through recessions. Now, “there will be far less attempt to cushion the effects,” said political economist Mark Blyth.

The nation’s largest retailer is increasingly competing with beauty retailers such as Ulta and Sephora.

The marquee collegiate tournament is in full swing for both men’s and women’s basketball, but only the former has received a great deal of attention from the sports betting industry.

Experts say the lag in betting on women’s sports is a missed opportunity.

Workers earning the least saw their wages grow more than 15%, even when adjusted for inflation, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute.

Economists have warned that the shuttering of two federal economic advisory committees could impact independent policymaking.

From the BBC World Service: Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has passed $100bn annual revenue for the first time, putting Elon Musk’s Tesla in second place.

Neuroscience researcher Ziv Ben-Zion says even though the bots don’t have emotions, they can simulate a person’s responses because they’re trained on human data. They may play a role in psychotherapy, and meditation seems to help them chill out.

We look at the latest purchasing managers report to see if new trade policies have made an impact. Also: Homeownership rates stall for Gen Z and millennials.

Counselors offer services like essay editing, extracurricular guidance and university visit scheduling — sometimes for a six figure price.

Officials in Maryland, New York, New Mexico and Kansas City are among those launching recruitment campaigns targeting federal workers. But matching those workers’ federal salaries and competing with private sector offers will be tough.

Manufacturers are optimistic, partly because of tariffs. In services, execs are glad the winter is over but not bullish on the full year.

Consider convenience fees and interest before you change the way you pay your landlord. They could erase any credit card rewards.

Have you ever accidentally added the wrong person to the chat? Oops!

Amid elevated interest rates and high costs, millennials and older members of Gen Z made no gains in owning homes in 2024, Redfin data shows.

The rebuilt Francis Scott Key Bridge will have to accommodate not just the ships and trucks of today, but those of a 100 years from now.

They don’t make loans themselves, but they help banks make more of them.

With trade U.S. agreements in the balance, Mexican authorities make a show of stemming the flow of illegal imports.

Investors are more upbeat today after some outlets are reporting that certain industries won’t get hit with import taxes next week.

The payment company Klarna is partnering with the delivery service DoorDash to offer what is essentially short term credit.

Research at a Duke University laboratory led to a new breast cancer drug in 2023. Government funding for that lab is now in limbo.

The Trump administration’s budget-cutting efforts are having a big impact on research universities.

From the BBC World Service: Protesters and police clashed on a fifth night of demonstrations after the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor.

A supermajority at BlueOval SK, a $6 billion joint venture between Ford and South Korea’s SK On, has asked the National Labor Relations Board for a vote on joining the UAW. The union hopes the region is fertile ground for organizing.