Week of November 17th, 2025

Amy Scott hosts a “Marketplace” station special about the business and economics of food this holiday season.

Plus, are you team canned or homemade cranberry sauce?

Plus: Small-scale farmers, a supply chain slowdown, and a recap of the week’s economic headlines.

Political partisanship has become so persistent in sentiment surveys that some economists say it’s getting harder to accurately measure moods of consumers.

Retailers actually have started to offer deals to consumers earlier in the year, but the day still remains popular. 

It could be a sign that importers already have the goods they need. It could also be a sign that the economy will dip into a “freight recession.”

TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, reported strong third quarter earnings and raised its profit forecast for months ahead.

 As U.S. consumer debt climbs to record highs, social media creators are speaking candidly about a once-taboo topic.

The Trump administration has unveiled plans for a huge expansion of offshore oil drilling.

Part of the reason? U.S. security concerns.

Housing everywhere is less affordable, but the affordability crisis is accelerating fastest in rural areas, according to an analysis by Redfin.

The same fear is hitting job sites nationwide.

Some construction workers are afraid to go into Washington, D.C for fear of deportation.

From the BBC World Service: Japan's cabinet has approved a stimulus package worth more than $130 billion.

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

Julissa Germosen started the Latina Leadership Potential Award scholarship at Rutgers University in 2005.

The American brand has attracted people and businesses to this country for decades. What happens if it changes? 

The September jobs report is finally here. Plus: America’s brand image and food service jobs.

The government shutdown delayed the BLS September jobs report by more than a month.

The September jobs report, delayed due to the government shutdown, showed the food services sector added more than 36,000 jobs for the month, more than any sector besides health care.

The White House did not send a formal delegation to this year’s U.N. climate conference.

After a month and a half delay due to the government shutdown, we finally got the September jobs report.

Japan and China recently agreed to cooperate more economically. Now, climbing tensions are threatening that cooperation.

Early data indicates fewer international students have come to the U.S. this fall. If that trend continues, it will be a big deal for colleges, the people who work at them, and for local economies.

Awaiting new data on consumer sentiment and retail sales this week, analysts say people seem to be concerned about job availability, high prices, and their ability to keep up with monthly bills.

Nvidia reported earnings yesterday after markets closed, and it did not disappoint.

From the BBC World Service: Wall Street was cheered last night by better-than-expected results from the chip giant Nvidia.

While Wikipedia strives to be transparent about its articles' authors and the changes it makes, Grokipedia is a black box of answers generated by xAI's chatbot Grok, said Ryan McGrady.

China finally buys some U.S. soybeans. Also: September jobs, meridian farmers, and political gambling.

Betting and predictive markets have taken over sports media, and politics could be next.

The government shutdown pushed the report’s release date back by more than six weeks.

Trump says China committed to buying 12 million metric tons of soybeans in 2025. But that’s less than half of what they bought in 2024.

In a word: uncertainty. Plus, we preview Nvidia’s quarterly results and the Fed’s next rate decision.

Consumers would likely have the chance to redo plan selections if enhanced tax credits are extended, however unlikley that looks.

The National Retail Federation predicts that this holiday season, retailers will hire fewer than 365,000 workers — the lowest number in 15 years.

When one major cybersecurity firm goes down, like Cloudflare did this week, it can disrupt large swaths of the internet. That’s because a few large companies dominate the market.

24 million people buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, but subsidies and tax credits helped make it affordable.

From the BBC World Service: More than 300 South Korean workers were detained and later sent back to South Korea in September.

Marketplace’s China correspondent Jennifer Pak visited a training center for "automation engineers" who maintain and operate the robots behind assembly lines.

Allie Trela-Jones owns Bruised Boutique Skate Shop in Nashua, New Hampshire. It specializes in roller derby, skate park, and recreational skates.

But first: Panera struggles amid fast-casual slump, Home Depot earnings disappoint, and bitcoin sags.

Facing a drop in sales, Panera’s changes include a menu refresh, adding new locations and bringing back some fan favorites.

The company blamed consumer uncertainty and a stuck housing market.

Now that the U.S. government and banks have legitimized cryptocurrencies, a huge drop in value could have real-world consequences.

Most of the incentives and regulatory requirements that spurred carmakers to build more EVs are gone. But there are more EVs on American roads than ever.

A $100,000 fee on H-1B visas creates barrier for short-staffed rural health systems

Plus, tips for navigating an uncertain open enrollment season.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is starting a second round of aid — about $16 billion — for farmers affected by natural disasters.

A new McKinsey report finds that artificial intelligence can help companies overcome some of the logistical hurdles that come with navigating tariffs.

The idea has a mixed record.

With heat and electricity bills on the rise, many households are falling behind on payments, according to a new analysis by progressive nonprofits Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers.

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani wants city-owned grocery stores in food deserts. How have similar experiments in other cities fared?

From the BBC World Service: No firm is safe if the AI bubble pops, warns Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Communications professor Joshua Scacco says it's all about relatability, interaction, and sticking with a campaign's core message.

Big box retailers and Wall Street darling Nvidia are set to report. Plus: air traffic control, sour candy, and a nuclear power plant.

Some are calling for the FAA's budget for air traffic control to be detached from Washington budget fights.

Nvidia designs the semiconductors used to develop, teach and run AI on computers around the world. It reports earnings on Wednesday.

Much of the nuclear power world has eyes on a Bill Gates-backed project near Kemmerer, Wyoming. As it inches closer to its 2030 opening date, the town struggles to meet its own infrastructure needs.

We’ll also hear from Home Depot and Lowe’s soon.

The National Association of Realtors' outlook shows sales jumping next year due to falling mortgage rates, especially in cities like Houston that have seen a construction boom.

Demand for sour flavors — in everything from cocktails to candy — is on the rise.

To hear about the mood among Chinese buyers and U.S. exporters, Marketplace's Jennifer Park recently attended a trade show in Shanghai.

China’s government has supported electric vehicle brands like BYD through major subsidies.

The shutdown could still result in a delayed data release.

Marketplace checks in with some American producers and Chinese buyers at a recent trade show in Shanghai.

Tomorrow's when we’re supposed to learn more about imports and exports from the BLS.

From the BBC World Service: A key agreement protecting the Amazon rainforest is under threat from powerful Brazilian agri-business interests.

Columbia University’s Creative Machines Lab is tackling the big challenge with synthetic meat - making it taste like the real thing.