Week of July 13th, 2026

A pipeline that circumvents the Strait of Hormuz could ease some global oil pressure. Plus: Las Vegas buffets, sponsored influencer content, and a nationwide fun shortage.

A look at promising inflation data, new tariffs, and the rest of the week’s economic news for the Weekly Wrap.

Ben Steverman, a reporter at Bloomberg, discusses the fun shortage, and why it’s gotten harder — and more expensive — for Americans to get out of the house.

Our discretionary income has dropped by 13%, according to one analysis.

Dozens of Vegas buffets have closed since the pandemic. New York Times chief restaurant critic Tejal Rao visited a few of the surviving institutions.

As the U.S. war with Iran is rekindled, oil producers are looking for new routes to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

As more dollars flow into influencer marketing, the creator management industry is growing, too.

President Donald Trump is looking at adopting a retirement system based on Australia’s “superannuation” model.

On today’s program, we explain why Australia’s “super” retirement system of mandatory savings is gaining fans in the U.S.

When college dollars leap to the millions, basketball players have to ask themselves more questions about their hoop dreams.

Here’s what that means for commercial real estate in the Big Apple.

The House Budget Committee approved a $95 billion budget bill on Thursday. This morning, we have an explainer.

House Republicans this week proposed a $95 billion reconciliation package that would fund things like defense, the war against Iran, and farm relief initiatives.

Plus, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul enacts a moratorium on AI data centers, and Uber tries to slow down the adoption of autonomous vehicles in D.C. Paresh Dave, senior writer at Wired, joins Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino for this week's "Tech Bytes: Week in Review."

Sony is discontinuing physical media starting in 2028, sparking backlash across social media. The announcement comes at at time when it’s facing consumer lawsuits over how it handles the digital distribution of its games.

Trump has proposed new sweeping tariffs on 60 countries. Plus: Luxury real estate agents, Giant Eagle, pay-to-play youth sports, and a skate shop.

With inflation trending down, and retail sales numbers edging up, the Federal Open Markets Committee is going into its late July meetings with fairly positive numbers.

Can Botox be a business expense? Maybe not, but for some luxury real estate agents, looking their best is just part of the job.

On Thursday, the White House announced new 25% tariffs on Brazil.

Giant Eagle shoppers are hoping the merger will lead to lower grocery prices. Analysts aren’t so sure.

But they’re willing to make sacrifices — and deals — to keep their kids playing

Even with the latest decline in inflation, real earnings have stagnated over the past year.

On today’s program, we’ll look at why real earnings are stagnating.

Consumers are feeling the pinch of inflation, but many aren't totally giving up on treats like vacations.

It’s more than just disappointment for the fans. Here’s what several nations have had to endure.

This morning, we have a consumer spending pulse check and a discussion about the costs of losing the World Cup.

Gaia Bernstein, law professor at Seton Hall University, says this could be another Big Tobacco moment for Big Tech.

Why Laura Griggs moved her family back to the city after years on a homestead.

Gen Z entrepreneurs are skipping college and starting their own car detailing services — and they’re making a pretty penny.

Despite ticking down in June, overall U.S. inflation is still much higher than peer countries. Plus, student loans, legacy tech, car detailing, and fertilizer prices.

Inflation in the U.S. might be easing, but that doesn't mean it's good.

The past five years have been called the most chaotic in student loan policy history.

Big Blue’s shares tumbled after it indicated its second-quarter performance was weak.

The U.S. imports about a third of its fertilizer.

The AI boom has boosted tech spending to levels not seen since the IT boom of the 1990s.

All of the spending on the AI infrastructure buildout is contributing to economic growth. But that kind of investment won’t necessarily support the broader economy over the long-run.

New York became the first state to impose a moratorium on large-scale data centers, citing grid strain and higher costs for ratepayers.

Data centers, that is. That is the question that states are now grappling with. This morning: the economic arguments for and against data centers.

Delaware has long been the go-to state for registering companies because of its favorable business laws. But now Wyoming is taking the lead, and its chancery court could help bring more companies out West.

The culprit? It takes at least two years to ramp up production for a show's second season, says Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy at Greenlight Analytics.

The Fed chair’s semiannual congressional testimony came out of the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978.

The CPI report showed consumer prices fell month-over-month. Plus: Credit card spending, pork lobbyists, and the Humphrey-Hawkins Act.

Those high egg prices back in 2022 and 2023 weren’t just tied to inflation and an avian flu outbreak, according to the Wall Street Journal. There was a possible plot to fix prices by industry leaders.

Three big banks reported on Tuesday that credit card spending is up. According to Bank of America, its customers charged more on travel and entertainment, along with necessities like gas.

The surprisingly strong CPI numbers mean the Fed is likely to hold interest rates steady at its next meeting in July.

A national ad campaign aims to take advantage of the current protein craze and bolster U.S. pork consumption.

Fresh CPI figures showed that consumer prices actually fell 0.4% month over month in June.

Hay yields in the U.S. may see a hit resulting from drought in the West and extreme rain in parts of the Midwest.

As the U.S. reshapes its foreign assistance strategy, countries receiving health funding are sharing access to medical information.

The health data of millions of people across Africa is now being shared with the U.S. government, according to a ProPublica investigation.

Comedians Harris Alterman and Dave Ross discuss the inspiration behind their viral fake tech ads in the New York City transit system.

“They always take these videos and photos in really exotic locations, and they basically say, ‘I've made all of this money, I took my private jet to this island somewhere,’” said Jason Koebler at 404 Media.

They’re benefiting from AI spending and a strong stock market. Plus: Inflation, inflation, inflation.

Banks are making money on the AI and stock market boom, whether by directly financing companies, facilitating stock trades, or managing IPOs.

With the CPI at 4.2% in May, some economists think inflation is near its peak. But structural pressures could keep prices elevated longer.

What happens with the producer price index often impacts the consumer price index.

Labor economist Kathryn Anne Edwards joins the show to propose a solution to funding the Social Security trust fund.

A new report from the Urban Institute suggests some consumers may be headed for a cliff.

A new report from the Urban Institute finds that more people using credit cards and buy now, pay later services for groceries are struggling to repay.

In a recent piece in Bloomberg, labor economist Kathryn Anne Edwards proposes a solution to the Social Security trust fund shortfall: change the tax treatment of the self-employed.

Marketplace’s Amy Scott reports on companies pouring millions of dollars into efforts to rid old and new CO2 emissions from our atmosphere, which could help mitigate the climate crisis.