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 (703)

Is rising mortgage debt a bad sign for the economy?

Feb 12, 2024
Mortgage debt has grown 30% since before the pandemic. But the majority of mortgage debt holders have rates below 5%.
"When you take mortgage debt as a share of income, it’s still relatively manageable," said Wells Fargo's Shannon Grein.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Americans bought fewer Chinese imports in 2023, but Chinese exporters aren't necessarily hurting

Feb 8, 2024
We bought more imports from Mexico — and Chinese companies have been investing heavily there.
U.S. imports from China. were down more than 20% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Corporate bonds are in demand amid optimism and declining yields

Jan 30, 2024
Many investors see big companies as healthy and want to get into the market before the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates.
January has been a busy month in the corporate bond market, driven in part by expectations of Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

As war and drought throttle supply chains, importers reopen pandemic playbooks

Jan 29, 2024
Firms that import goods are returning to pandemic-era strategies to brace their businesses against delays and higher shipping costs.
Because of ongoing delays, some importers are stocking up on goods and passing along price hikes.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Why is credit card debt rising again?

Jan 29, 2024
Delinquencies are up, especially for people with lower incomes and multiple types of debt, according to the New York Fed.
People with jobs feel comfortable spending money on their credit cards, says Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Higher interest rates and troubled commercial real estate are piling pressure on regional banks

Jan 22, 2024
We'll be getting a sense of how they're doing as they report quarterly results this week.
A view inside a Silicon Valley Bank location in March 2023. Since the collapse of SVB, a lot of small and mid-sized banks have tried to stop depositors from pulling out their money by raising interest rates on deposits.
Noah Berger/AFP via Getty Images

Home prices aren't guaranteed to skyrocket this year

Jan 19, 2024
Housing demand has been improving in recent months, as mortgage rates have ticked down. And while that's putting upward pressure on home prices, there are a few factors that could keep a lid on home price appreciation.
One factor that's already been increasing housing inventory is new home construction.
George Rose/Getty Images

Why corporate dealmaking could pick up this year

Jan 18, 2024
Rising interest rates, a volatile stock market and a strict regulatory environment are just some of the factors that held back corporate dealmaking in 2023. Some of those obstacles could ease in 2024, but they aren't going away.
A big reason that mergers and acquisitions have dropped is because rising interest rates have made it costlier to buy a company.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

With commercial real estate set for another tough year, some small banks are worried

Jan 17, 2024
Amid high interest rates and vacancy rates, lenders and regulators are concerned about the fallout when borrowers renew their loans.
Plenty of companies are planning to downsize their office space, which worries lenders that have a lot of commercial real estate debt on their balance sheets.
David McNew/Getty Images

The business lending environment is tough right now — especially for people of color

Jan 15, 2024
The Biden administration has tried to make it easier for business owners to get loans. But high interest rates are a challenge.
Nicole Davis, who owns an accounting firm, said her Black business clients typically have a harder time qualifying for loans, often because they lack generational wealth.
designer491/Getty Images