Week of April 7th, 2025

This is a copy of Marketplace’s weekly newsletter. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Friday. In this week's issue: 

Plus, the American right to cheap goods.

Tariff chaos is making tariff evasion more likely. Plus, car insurance costs dip, and the value of the U.S. dollar tumbles.

The greenback falls to a 10-year low against the Swiss franc. A sense of risk around U.S. assets is undermining their safe-haven status.

Tariffs could hike the costs of accidents and further strain the insurance industry.

You might get around tariffs by lying about what goods you’re importing, their value or where they’re from. But the penalties are severe.

The federal form allows you to contribute to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. Few people do, and candidates aren’t accepting the offer.

The dollar dropped to a three-year low in foreign exchange trading amid global trade fears. A look at what that means.

What you should be doing with your money mostly depends on where you’re at in your career and life.

How this oyster farmer found a shucking good industry.

The Prada Group announced this week that it’s buying the luxury design house Versace for about $1.4 billion.

People who are about to retire likely just saw their pool of money shrink because of all of the market uncertainty.

From the BBC World Service: China hits back against the U.S., matching Trump’s 125% tariffs.

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

Even high earners feel sour about price inflation and the rising cost of housing.

Internships help you figure out what you want from a career

It’s time for a listener mailbag episode!

After a volatile week for Treasury bonds, investors aren’t feeling as confident about the market. Plus, Atlanta Fed chief Raphael Bostic weighs in on our economic moment.

A government debt sale this week went poorly because potential buyers were spooked by tariffs.

For many millennials, the answer has an overwhelming impact on how they feel about the economy.

The president’s executive orders calling for an end to DEI across the federal government is set to change the way tens of billions of dollars in federal contracts are awarded.

Businesses, consumers and the Fed are moving carefully because of uncertainty, says Raphael Bostic. “When the fog gets thicker, you're going to pull over and wait.”

“Tariffs of this kind of magnitude always do more damage than good," says KPMG’s Diane Swonk.

In most of the country, sending a kid to day care costs more than sending one to a public university. But in New Mexico, most families can pay nothing at all. 

If U.S. products get too expensive in China, American farmers are worried about losing a key market for things like chicken feet that people in many other countries don’t eat but are hugely popular in China.

Certificates can be a faster and more specialized route to the workforce than a bachelor’s or associate degree for some students.

President Donald Trump’s U-turn on tariffs yesterday reminded investors just how fast the economic landscape can change.

From the BBC World Service: The trade relationship between the U.S. and China continues to unravel.

Nick Daniel, chief product officer, says the LLMs connect buyers’ desires to Etsy’s vast inventory of unique, handmade items. The business model, though, still relies on the expertise of human trendspotters.

The economy is entering its second period of major change in less than a decade. We’re following a group of consumers to see how they navigate it.

Universities issue bonds to compensate for federal funding cuts and companies rescind their 2025 revenue projections. Plus, benzene and the trade imbalance.

Universities have long issued bonds to raise money, but the amount being issued has nearly doubled in recent years —and is increasing as government funding is paused.

The airline is just one of several companies looking at the cost of a trade war and revising their future projections.

Chad Bown of the the Peterson Institute for International Economics explains the trade deficit and foreign investment “open loop” system. But wait, there’s more!

The stated purpose of Trump’s import levies is to draw production back to the U.S. from around the world. Benzene illustrates that it won’t work with all products.

All the guardrails are off today, folks.

China and the European Union are responding to President Donald Trump's sweeping new tariffs.

Employees are figuring out what tasks they can use artificial intelligence to perform. What does that mean for their work?

The Nationhood Lab recently released survey results that found a majority of Americans share a common view that the U.S. is held together by values espoused in the Declaration of Independence.

The bond market is unsettled this morning after new tariffs under President Donald Trump went into effect.

From the BBC World Service: About 60 countries are now being charged higher import taxes on goods going into the U.S.

Consumers won’t be buying as many gadgets during the potential downturn that’s slamming tech stocks, forecasts Daniel Newman of the Futurum Group. But the tariff-fueled disruption could widen giant companies’ advantage over the rest.

The religious roots of climate-conscious investing.

Amid deepening uncertainty about the economy, companies have nearly stopped issuing bonds. Plus, sluggish lending in Texas and doing business with Russia from a distance.

A new Dallas Fed survey shows tariff-related uncertainty may be stifling bank activity.

In an uncertain environment, companies are less eager to take on debt and investors are charging more to lend.

We survey the fast-changing tariff landscape.

The country is considering extending a restriction on cobalt exports to further push up prices. It’s not the only mineral-rich country to try that.

Charles Hecker, a geopolitical risk consultant, says a lot of questions about the country’s future need resolving before Western businesses put down long-term roots there again.

Thanks to high costs and economic uncertainty, more eateries and bars, like Leyenda in Brooklyn, are closing.

Additional taxes on European wines and winemaking supplies will challenge American businesses that sell EU wines — and domestic wineries that buy bottles or barrels from abroad.

Delta issues its quarterly results Wednesday, but last month it more than halved its growth outlook for the first quarter.

When the economy slows down, the price of oil tends to fall. But this time, OPEC+ is increasing production despite weak demand.

U.S. wineries and wine shops are bracing for a financial hit from President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Yesterday's stock market rollercoaster ride hinged on false information about a potential tariff pause.

From the BBC World Service: China has reacted strongly to President Donald Trump's threat to raise tariffs on its exports to more than 100%.

The software titan is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month and building up its AI assistant, known as Copilot. Microsoft's consumer marketing chief, Yusuf Mehdi, touts the program's abilities and discusses the company's AI ambitions.

Past efforts to move shoe manufacturing to Vietnam or Cambodia didn't go so great. Plus, cheaper solar panels and falling copper prices.

High tariffs could spur inflation and hold back employment, pulling the Federal Reserve in different directions on interest rates.

Companies may have to shift more production to the U.S. or sales to other countries. Coordination among partners, though, may be difficult.

Copper prices rose rapidly a few weeks ago, ahead of further tariff announcements. But the metal ended up on a short list of goods exempted from import taxes.

Concentrated solar power was one of several technologies that showed promise. Ivanpah's main buyer is pulling out to save customers money.

At the end of the day, consumers need jobs and stable income, says labor economist Elizabeth Crofoot of Lightcast.

Business leaders are starting to sound the alarm over sweeping tariffs.

Delinquencies have been rising for credit cards and auto loans.

Major indexes on Wall Street are highly volatile this morning after conflicting messages from the Trump administration over global tariffs.

And their amount of debt is also on the rise. That’s pushing more households into the ranks of the financially precarious.

Higher duties are scheduled to kick in Wednesday at midnight for dozens of countries. Investors want to know if they’re permanent.

From the BBC World Service: Stock markets across Asia, Europe and Australia have plummeted in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Shoe making has been shifting to countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia but China is still a leading footwear manufacturer

The small, modular reactor industry could bring safer, low-carbon electricity production closer to populated areas. Professor Aditi Verma at the University of Michigan is teaching students about designing these facilities with community needs in mind.