Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Could the U.S. ever attain 100% employment?

Sep 6, 2024
The U.S. unemployment rate has never reached zero, and it likely never will. But that’s not a bad thing.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A banker, a customs broker and a real estate agent share “analog” memories

To wrap up our series about how technology has changed jobs, we hear from three “Marketplace” regulars.
This summer, we asked listeners to help us time travel to the analog age. Above, a worker  climbs a ladder to check the inside of a huge clock.
Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images

August jobs report is mixed, but a pleasant surprise on wages

Sep 6, 2024
Job creation numbers were just OK, but average hourly earnings rose 3.8% year over year, more than economists expected.
The monthly jobs report is a mixed bag for U.S. workers.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Nevada leads pack in race for federal energy, climate cash

Sep 6, 2024
The states with the biggest clean energy investments, backed by Inflation Reduction Act funds, are not the typical climate change leaders.
Inflation Reduction Act funding is incentivizing states to invest in clean energy, but some are investing more than others.
Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images

This is how much gold Paralympians take home

Plus, financial educator Sahirenys Pierce defends her splurge and more in this week's This Is Uncomfortable Newsletter.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The NFL goes to Brazil as part of global push

Sep 6, 2024
The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil — the NFL’s first regular season game played in South America.
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

How bankable is Banksy? On the trail of his London animals

Sep 6, 2024
How have Banksy's most recent street works — nine animal scenes in the London — impacted their local neighborhoods?
Banksy's London Zoo mural.
Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

The impending private equity blitz on NFL teams

Sep 6, 2024
In this week's "Make Me Smart" newsletter, we explore the NFL's decision to allow private equity to buy portions of football teams, the relationship between car weight and safety and the costs of an extremely hot summer.
Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

That time the Fed bowed to political pressure before an election

It was the lead-up to the 1972 presidential election. An era of "stagflation" was ahead. And President Richard Nixon had a plan.
After first winning the presidential election in 1968, Richard Nixon sought a boost to win reelection in 1972. So he devised a scheme to influence the Fed — and monetary policy — for a friendly economic environment in the lead-up.
AFP via Getty Images

Battery energy storage is a growing source of electricity

Sep 5, 2024
Using stored renewable energy can help the grid — and be profitable for battery operators — especially when electricity demand is high.
A solar power and battery energy storage system in Daggett, California.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images