Justin Ho

Reporter

SHORT BIO

Justin is a reporter for Marketplace. He’s based in San Diego, California.

Justin focuses on small business, banking and supply chain news. He also hosts the Closing Bell edition of the “Marketplace Minute,” a daily news roundup, and has worked as the show producer of the “Marketplace Morning Report.” He started working at Marketplace in 2011.

Justin spends a lot of his downtime mountain biking, surf fishing and grappling with decision paralysis over which bike parts and fishing gear to buy next.

Latest Stories (696)

Mortgage demand is up, but lenders are more cautious

Jun 14, 2023
Mortgage applications rose last week, thanks in part to a dip in mortgage rates, according to a new report. But credit availability has been falling.
Mortgage demand and mortgage supply are moving in different directions.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The debt limit deal would reduce government spending by about $1.5 trillion

May 31, 2023
Reduced government spending can have an impact on the broader economy. But economists say the effects will likely be limited.
"It does slow the economy, but not in a particularly meaningful way," said economics professor Justin Wolfers of the debit limit deal reached by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

New businesses are popping up in "donuts" of downtowns

May 30, 2023
A lot of people started new businesses after the onset of the pandemic. That number has stayed high, in part because many businesses are popping up outside of traditional downtown urban cores.
Populations in the suburbs are growing faster than in urban cores, according to an analysis of Census data by the Brookings Institution. This is one reason many new businesses are opening up in neighborhoods that surround downtowns.
Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

When will the U.S. run out of money? It’s tough to say.

May 25, 2023
Predicting the exact timing of a government default is difficult, given the amount of the variability in government spending and revenue.
Even Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted it’s hard to be exactly sure when a default could happen.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Consumers say they're doing fine, but the economy as a whole isn't. Why?

May 23, 2023
It all depends on the questions pollsters ask. "How are you doing?" will elicit a different answer than "How do you feel about inflation?"
According to a survey out this week, almost three-quarters of people feel at least OK about their own personal economies. But other surveys suggest people think differently about the broader economy.
David Becker/Getty Images

Corporate borrowing is up this month, despite rising interest rates

May 19, 2023
Recent mergers and the ongoing debt limit negotiations in Congress could be prompting companies to borrow more.
Large mergers, like Pfizer’s $43 billion purchase of the biotech company Seagen, is one reason why corporate borrowing is up this month.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

New home construction ticked up in April, signaling a rise in demand

May 17, 2023
Most new homes are going up in the South and states like Utah and Nevada, where homes are generally more affordable than on the coasts.
New home construction has picked up in the Mountain West, where housing is generally more affordable than on the coasts.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

One way to make banks safer? Make them "narrower."

May 12, 2023
Limiting riskier, illiquid investment could make banks and the financial system more stable — but the Federal Reserve isn’t so sure.
A narrow bank could just lock your money away in a vault behind the tellers or park it in a liquid investment. But those options aren't very profitable.
Evening Standard/Getty Images

The markets are taking debt limit uncertainty in stride — for now

May 9, 2023
Stock markets aren't upset by the debt limit debate. But that could change as the June 1 default deadline draws closer, analysts say.
The stock market doesn't have a lot to react to because little is happening in terms of raising the debt limit, says Ian Dew-Becker, a finance professor at Northwestern University. Above, a trader at the New York Stock Exchange.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Productivity in the U.S. fell last month, but the nation's output increased. How does that work?

May 4, 2023
What matters here is how the Labor Department defines productivity.
More people are working, since a lot of sectors — like leisure and hospitality — are playing catchup on hiring.
Leon Neal/Getty Images