Marketplace Morning Report Stories

Coming off Easter weekend, let's look at some key economic data we may have missed. On Friday, data on core inflation in the U.S. came in much weaker than expected. Why is that important? It means that the Fed may not have to be aggressive with interest rates. Next, we'll explore how demographic surveys on the homeless population can lead to more funding for certain groups, and how a cocoa surplus in Ivory Coast is negatively affecting farmers.

Netflix will report earnings when the market closes on today. As ever, analysts will be keeping a close eye on subscriber numbers. They’ll also be considering all the new players jumping into streaming TV. But these are mostly new services planning to offer livetelevision over the internet. Will that hurt Netflix? Click the audio player […]

The FCC has just wrapped up an auction over airspace, with T-Mobile, Dish Network and Comcast among the winners. Total amount spent for that airspace, or spectrum? Almost $20 billion. We'll take a look at why this airspace was so coveted and what'll happen to the the TV stations that are losing access to it. Afterwards, Marketplace's David Brancaccio wraps up his road trip across the Midwest in search of robot-proof jobs. The latest technology he's exploring on our show today: driverless cars, which may be the catalyst for propelling automation deeper into the American workplace.

Mega-retailer Wal-Mart is rolling out discounts for shoppers who order items online and then agree to pick them up at the store. The move is the latest play by Wal-Mart in its battle with Amazon in the e-commerce sector. But is a discount a substitute for the convenience of having stuff delivered right to your […]

The big banks will start rolling out their first-quarter earnings reports today and expectations are high. But Wall Street will also be looking for clues to a lending mystery: why aren’t banks doing more of it?  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

The U.S. markets are reacting to Trump's decision to back away from several economic stances he took on the campaign trail. One reversal? A (positive) change of heart when it comes to Fed Chair Janet Yellen. Diane Swonk, CEO of DS Economics, joins us to discuss possible reasons for the shift. Next, we'll look at David Brancaccio's journey to find his own C-3PO as part of our "Robot-Proof Jobs" series. The digital sidekick he's auditioning this time: Benjamin, software that creates original stories of its own.