Week of August 25th, 2025

For the first time in 15 years, data from the Atlanta Fed shows that people who switch jobs haven’t been getting any more of a pay bump than people who stick with the same company.

Women are more likely than men to use buy now, pay later services, even though men carry more total debt.

Up until February, Joya Patel was an employee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Becoming a civil servant again would be no easy task right now.

AI researchers are getting recruited like professional athletes. But stacking a team with expensive stars doesn’t always work out.

Despite stubborn inflation and falling consumer confidence, consumer spending continues to climb. Plus, the rise of women-targeted “buy now, pay later” services.

Fed independence has been a strength of the U.S. financial system, but what happens if that disappears?

Trump’s pick to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics has suggested pausing the report, a proposal that investors, companies, and policymakers would not be fond of. 

We can look to Hungary for an example of what happens when a central bank’s role becomes more political than economic.

And especially the Nintendo Switch 2.

Is AI in a bubble? Well, yes and no, explains one strategist.

The “Magnificent Seven” stocks are worth $20 trillion. Is it an overvaluation?

From the BBC World Service: The United States has ended a long-running global tax exemption on imports worth $800 or less.

Jewel Burks Solomon, managing partner at Collab Capital, joins Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino on “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Over the past five years, nuclear power has experienced a renaissance in public and political support. The formerly controversial energy source has seen cultural moments on TikTok, ESPN College Gameday, and even in the White House.

After 20 years, Melissa Fields retired from the Air Force and opened her own interior design business in San Antonio, Texas.

The U.S. economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter. We take a closer look at what's driving those GDP numbers. Plus, the AI data center boom.

The tariffs have drastically slowed imports, which increases total GDP but doesn't mean the underlying economy is booming.

The rebound is a sign that corporate America is hanging in there, despite shifting trade policy.

Building them could soon be a bigger business than building traditional office space.

Even as federal support for EVs wanes, big companies, including major automakers and retailers, are building networks of fast chargers, often accompanied by amenities.

Despite billions in investment, there’s still a shortage of skilled workers to fill critical chip production jobs.

USC’s Andrea Belz walks through a new study that highlights a gap in the number of students majoring in disciplines required for advanced chip-making jobs.

Foreign investors would also pull their money out of the U.S.

Cracker Barrel's decision to toss their new logo and keep the "old timer" is an example of the power that engaged consumers have right now.

The Fed controls the Federal Funds Rate, which is currently at around 4.5%. The president wants it down to 1%.

From the BBC World Service: Thousands of workers across Indonesia are rallying to demand higher wages and lower taxes.

Cristiano Lima-Strong, assistant editor at the news site Tech Policy Press, says Silicon Valley leaders want the bloc to weaken its Digital Services Act, which penalizes internet companies for not curbing online illegal content.

Some international carriers are suspending U.S. shipments altogether until it’s clear how the new system works.

The pessimism varies inversely with income, with the biggest earners feeling the least gloomy.

During the pandemic, mothers saw a dramatic increase in workforce participation levels. however, since the beginning of 2025, those levels have seen continuous declines eliminating their pandemic gains.

Consumer confidence slipped in August, driven by worries about available jobs and future incomes. But a dip in confidence doesn't always mean people spend less.

Lego reported a 12% jump in revenue this year. One reason? Grownups, or "kidults," who buy them for themselves.

The White House is reportedly getting ready to appoint Lisa Cook’s replacement.

Evergrande was the symbol of the excess of China’s property market. On Monday, its shares were delisted from Hong Kong’s stock exchange, leaving creditors in limbo.

But it would likely come with a side order of inflation.

The company reports on Wednesday.

You may have heard that big things come in small packages. Now, tariffs do too.

From the BBC World Service: We’ll hear about the on-the-ground impacts of steep tariffs on Indian imports to the United States.

Applying to jobs is easier than ever in some ways, but also more automated and dehumanizing than ever.

Over the last few years, FEMA’s BRIC program has awarded $4.5 billion worth of grants intended to help communities prepare for future disasters. But with the Trump administration eying the program for cuts, what happens if that money goes away?

Prices are actually falling in some former hotspots in the Sun Belt, while they’re rising in parts of the Rust Belt.

Trump's latest move to oust Lisa Cook is part of his months-long effort to reshape the central bank. But meddling with Fed independence could backfire.

If investors lose faith in the Fed, they may start demanding higher yields on long-term bonds. That could lead to an increase in the interest rate for mortgages, government debt and more.

But there’s plenty of room for distortion with import order data right now.

As traditional advertising loses its grip, brands are embedding themselves more and more directly into the shows and movies we choose to watch.

Coffee beans from Brazil face a 50% U.S. import duty. What’s that mean for importers, sellers, and coffee connisseurs alike?

Fed governors can only be fired for cause. “The extent to which there is cause is, at best, dubious,” said Karen Petrou of Federal Financial Analytics.

“A lot of that information on what the Fed is going to do in September is already priced in” to current mortgage rates, said Zillow economist Kara Ng.

That's the conclusion of Karen Petrou at Federal Financial Analytics after President Donald Trump moved to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook last evening.

From the BBC World Service: The list of countries halting some postal shipments to the United States is growing over tariff worries.

An episode from our friends at “The Big Fib.”

As letter volumes plummet, Denmark’s national postal service is phasing out letter delivery in favor of parcel shipments. The BBC’s Adrienne Murray reports on how this decision reflects a broader trend toward digital communication.

The White House says cashless bail increases crime rates, but a study from the Brennan Center for Justice found that there’s no link.

Only 9% of golf courses offer caddie services, yet one third of golfers wish their home courses offered it, according to the National Golf Foundation. But caddie services can be a costly expense, so new tech is helping make them par for the course.

Here’s what daily life is like on one family’s “compound” in southern Mississippi.

President Trump's recent deal with Intel gives the U.S. government a 10% ownership stake in the company. But Intel's latest regulatory filing warns of potential pitfalls.

With September just around the corner, fall fashion is starting to hit the shelves at retailers across the country. They’re trying to balance new tariffs and a value-driven consumer.

Washington’s investment may well come with unintended consequences.

Many customers have gotten frustrated with price increases at fast-food restaurants, which means they’re going to casual dining restaurants like Chili’s. McDonald’s is trying to lure them back by cutting prices.

This move follows a trend of large conglomerates splitting into more focused businesses.

Several factors blunting the impact of tariffs could make it harder to notice the import taxes’ impact on inflation, even though they will likely cause the economy to slow.

This Monday: the realization that a weaker job market is not to be celebrated, even if it means lower interest rates.

Higher education institutions like Clark University are rethinking how they operate as enrollment slips, costs climb, and politics threaten international students, research funding, and financial aid.

Inflation is taking a back seat as Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled that a rate cut is coming.

Keurig Dr Pepper plans to acquire the coffee and tea company JDE Peet's for about $18 billion.

From the BBC World Service: Today, we’re tracing Evergrande’s spectacular rise and fall.

A recent study from the Stanford Institute for Human Centered AI found a gap between what current AI tools can do and what workers actually want them to do, according to Erik Brynjolfsson, co-author and director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.

We explore the way we measure this economy and what’s at stake if those statistics become suspect.

In a one-hour, special “Marketplace” broadcast, host Kai Ryssdal explores the way we measure this economy and what’s at stake if those statistics become suspect.