Week of December 15th, 2025

It’s ending the year at a low. Plus: Kansas City World Cup prep, a macroeconomic theory course utilizing AI, and a wrap up of the week’s economic headlines.

Plus, we’ll share some self-care tips for caregivers.

For his fall section of Econ 313, North Carolina A&T professor Scott Simkins had students mix macroeconomics and generative AI through song.

Consumers started 2025 feeling optimistic, but have ended on a low note.

Kansas City expects 650,000 fans to attend World Cup games next June and July. Many of them will seek short-term rentals, which could temporarily affect the region’s housing market.

Children (and adults) can write letters to Santa Claus through the U.S. Postal Service’s Operation Santa program, which allows others to fulfill their wish lists.

Under the deal, U.S. investors will buy TikTok’s American operations.

Whichever takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery is successful, it’s likely to draw close regulatory review from the Trump administration.

A tale of three markets: Austin, Cleveland, and Jacksonville.

Utilities across the country are investing in upgrades, and the cost is often passed on to consumers. In some places, utilities are increasing capacity for data centers, but elsewhere they're responding to the risk of wildfires and other natural disasters.

Warner Bros. Discovery says no to Paramount, yes to Netflix — but the final decision may hinge as much on politics as price.

Electricity prices are up 6.9% year over year. What’s the role of data centers used to power AI and crytpo?

From the BBC World Service: The Chinese owners of TikTok have signed a deal to sell the company's ‌U.S. assets to a joint venture led by American investors.

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

Andrew Prokop, senior politics correspondent at Vox, argues that policy makers have been relying less on economists for the last decade.

Plus: A 2026 housing market forecast, AI data center debt, and a coal rebrand.

Oracle and other firms are taking out loans to build data centers that they will rent to AI companies. Investors are starting to wonder if that bet will pay off.

The data were collected in late November, during peak Black Friday discount season.

Proving that alternative uses for coal are viable is no small feat, but perhaps the trickier task is shifting coal’s negative reputation.

Experts predict a gradually improving market, with some big caveats.

According to health law expert Allison Hoffman, it’s a problem of will.

In his 19-minute speech to the country last night, President Donald Trump shared a view on the economy that was, at times, accurate, misleading, or wrong. 

As the holiday shopping season continues, artificial intelligence scammers are coming for your wallet.

Other venues have been allowing round-the-clock trading for years.

With the unemployment rate now at 4.6%, economists are predicting more of the same, at least for the first half of next year.

In the new year, economists anticipate a continuation of 2025’s "low fire, low hire" labor market.

From the BBC World Service: Farmers have been protesting a nearly closed trade deal between the EU and the South American economic bloc Mercosur.

Garrett Johnson, professor of marketing at Boston University, shares his thoughts on the nuanced challenges of adding advertising to generative AI search platforms.

Bob Blake, owner of Solar Bear and tribal citizen of Red Lake Nation, said many solar projects are now “on pause.”

What does Venezuela’s tanker blockade mean for U.S. refiners? Plus: solar business, bank deposits, and the Gap.

Companies backed by private equity have bought up the software used by most fire departments, causing sharp price increases.

Skilled trades are typically seen as professions that won’t be permeated by AI. But that’s starting to change.

Many Gulf Coast refiners have a stake in the future of Venezuelan oil exports, as they've spent billions to process the country's heavier crude.

But will it stick?

Bank deposits have been increasing for more than a year, according to the FDIC. While that could let banks make more loans, many banks are being cautious.

Wage gains are stalling, and inflation has been heating up. That’s straining American consumers.

Based on this week’s jobs report, growth in average hourly earnings slowed to 3.5%, while price inflation is heating up.

Most seasonal workers go to the mall. But if you’re willing to brave cold nights on the street, the gig of tree seller could be more lucrative.

Today, we chat with a night worker at a West Harlem Christmas tree lot. But first, retail sales were unexpectedly flat.

From the BBC World Service: FIFA says it will release $60 seats for next year's World Cup, but there’s a catch.

Indeed senior economist Cory Stahle shares how tech job postings have changed over the year and how AI has (and hasn’t) influenced the kinds of openings posted on the job website.

The nationwide rate climbed to 4.6% in November. Plus: fiber-optic internet, clothing rentals, and advertising revenue.

Apps to rent fashion, even straight from others’ closets, are booming.

President Donald Trump favors a “tech neutral” approach to broadband access — a shift from the previous administration’s prioritization of fiber internet.

But health care hiring’s good run may be coming to a close.

Economic uncertainty and the specter of artificial intelligence have the next generation rolling up their sleeves in pursuit of a more stable job.

One major growth sector is retail advertising, when a brand pays retailers like Amazon or Walmart to highlight their products to that retailer’s customers. It’s expected to grow to over $190 billion in 2026.

The November unemployment rate in doesn’t represent a lot of people losing their jobs. It’s just that more and more people who want work are having trouble finding it.

All week, we’re looking at the state of caregiving in America.

The economy lost 105,000 jobs in October but gained 64,000 jobs in November.

Costly health insurance is fueling patient interest in a cash-only model called direct primary care. 

Growing health insurance costs are fueling interest in a market for health care providers that take cash rather than insurance.

A recent investigation found that some lenders are using a controversial method for calculating interest, meaning some New Yorkers who already lost their homes have also been deprived of tens of thousands of dollars.

How many jobs did the U.S. economy gain or lose last month? We'll find out later this morning.

From the BBC World Service: In 88 years, Volkswagen has never closed a manufacturing plant in its home country until now.

Nicholas Miller, policy associate at the National Conference of State Legislatures, explains how states are leaning into some tax incentives like reduced construction costs to attract data centers, while rethinking others related to electricity use.

In coastal San Diego, Alex Redlinger has built Red’s Gardening Co. from the mulch up.

Applications to start retail businesses are spiking. Plus: boutique gardening, obscure data, and health insurance coverage.

Now that the government has stopped minting pennies, retailers and restaurants that tend to do a lot of cash business want the federal government to come up with a standard for rounding.

The latest survey from the National Association of Home Builders showed confidence ticked up in December, but two-thirds said they’ve had to offer incentives lately to get buyers to commit.

In some cases, paying more upfront can reduce emergency care and hospital bills later. A life-saving allergy injector helps explain the economics.

Applications are booming across the board, but retail has seen a particular spike.

The Plazas Comunitarias program offers school opportunities for Spanish-speaking adults.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China paints a picture of stagnating investment, output, and consumption.

Even as holiday spending is expected to surpass $1 trillion, retailers are set to hire the lowest number of seasonal workers in decades.

Chinese citizens want to get money out of the country, while criminals are looking to clean illicit funds. They’re both using the same broker.

The version passed by the House would cut $1.6 billion in climate-related spending and another $40 million in DEI efforts.

Today, we’re digging into the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act.

From the BBC World Service: "It's like I'm standing inside a cloud of dust and smoke," says BBC correspondent Devina Gupta of air quality in India's capital.

Starting in January, we'll be in your feeds every week!

Gary Marcus, professor emeritus at NYU, explains the differences between large language models and "world models" — and why he thinks the latter are key to achieving artificial general intelligence.