Marketplace®
Every story is an economic story
  • These moms south of Seattle are tackling asthma, starting in preschools
    Sean Gallup/Getty Images

    One in 12 kids in the US has asthma.

  • A neon sign is seen in a window of a tax preparation office in Des Plaines, Illinois.
    Tim Boyle/Getty Images

    When did taxpayers and industries start to rely on the refund?

  • Rents are rising faster at the lower end of the market
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Average rents on single-family homes rose by about 3 percent nationally in 2018, according to a report out Tuesday from CoreLogic, up from 2.7 percent in 2017. As it happens, that’s about how much average wages grew during that same period before you factor in inflation. But those increases are lopsided. For the fifth year […]

  • Walmart reports a great holiday quarter
    BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

    Booming e-commerce, robust toy sales, and grocery pick-up and delivery powered the retailer to one of its strongest quarters in years.

  • Karl Lagerfeld before the opening of his photo exhibition entitled 'Little Black Jacket' at the Grand Palais in Paris, France on November 8, 2012.
    Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images

    The fashion house Chanel announced its creative director died today.

  • Three Babes Bakeshop employees at a bake sale protest outside of Sherpa Capital, one of the VC firms that invested in Munchery. 
    Sam Harnett for Marketplace

    In 2018, U.S. venture capital investment surpassed the 2000 dot-com peak for the first time. According to the financial data company PitchBook, investors put some $130 billion into thousands of U.S. companies. Many of these businesses will not make it, and as some flame out, they’ll leave behind a trail of debt. This is exactly […]

  • Why student debt may be slowing down a generation of homeowners
    fizkes/Getty Images

    New Federal Reserve research says student loan debt is hurting the housing market.

  • How state and local governments can protect themselves while trying to lure businesses
    TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

    This week Amazon said it wouldn’t pursue a new headquarters in New York City and GE announced it’s dramatically downsizing its planned move to Boston. GE will now rent office space there, instead of building a 12-story office tower. It will also repay $87 million in incentives it received to make the move. As cities and […]

  • Budget deal includes funds for rural broadband expansion
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    Efforts to expand broadband service in rural areas got a boost from the budget bill approved this week on Capitol Hill. Under the deal, the Department of Agriculture will receive $550 million to support broadband infrastructure in rural, underserved areas. It’s estimated that almost 30 percent of rural residents are without broadband compared to less […]

  • There’s a family of chemicals inside our bodies that’s linked to birth defects, immune system problems and, possibly, cancer. The chemicals — known by the acronym P.F.A.S. — are contained in Teflon, which is found in everything from microwave popcorn bags to non-stick pans. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency made a plan to regulate […]