Sabri Ben-Achour

Correspondent & Host

SHORT BIO

My job is to do what I can to help all of us understand the economic forces that shape our lives and our world.

What was your first job?

I was a waiter!

What do you think is the hardest part of your job that no one knows?

It can be hard to break down complex topics quickly and fairly.

In your next life, what would your career be?

A chemist or a geneticist, I think.

What’s your most memorable Marketplace moment?

Playing with giant horseshoe crabs under the moonlight as they swam ashore to spawn. (It was for a story on how their blood is used in the medical industry).

What’s the favorite item in your workspace and why?

My plants. I water them when I'm stressed. They get a lot of water.

Latest Stories (600)

Two years into the pandemic, what is work?

Jan 5, 2022
An industry has popped up to manage the back-and-forth of remote, hybrid or in-person work, including software to help companies adjust to less office space.
Empty chairs sit near a closed office building in Arlington, Virginia. Many employers are eyeing downsizing as an option to offload unneeded real estate as employees work remotely.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

How goes the inflation fight?

Dec 22, 2021
The White House has pushed changes at ports to fix supply chains and ease prices, but high demand for goods continues to exert pressure.
Though the Biden administration has pressed for changes at ports to improve goods transport and ease inflation, they're still not operating 24/7.
Mario Tama via Getty Images

China could soon surpass U.S. in crucial emerging technologies, report warns

Dec 14, 2021
"This has big implications," says Harvard's Graham Allison, one of the report's authors.
"This has big implications," says Harvard's Graham Allison, one of the report's authors.
Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Lira's decline hangs over Turkey's people

Dec 13, 2021
Turkey's currency, the lira, has dropped to a record low. Its decline has the central bank there contemplating a cut in interest rates.
A vendor sorts his lottery tickets displayed on a stall on a street in Ankara on December 12, 2021.
ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

China's state-sponsored industrial espionage is part of a larger system

Dec 9, 2021
Experts estimate that intellectual property theft is costly for countries — and that China is frequently the main culprit.
For years, U.S. prosecutors have accused Chinese companies, including solar companies, of stealing trade secrets. Above, a worker walks near solar modules in China's northwest Gansu Province.
Feng Li via Getty Images

4.2 million people quit their jobs in October

Dec 8, 2021
That was down slightly from September, but still high. Some say watch that figure to know what will happen to the economy in 2022.
According to the latest JOLTS report, the accommodation and food services sector had the largest increase in job openings.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images

What's behind the jump in U.S. exports?

Dec 7, 2021
Hurricane Ida held back oil and gas exports in September, so there was a big backlog that rushed out in October, shrinking the trade deficit.
U.S. manufacturers are stepping in to meet global demand as other countries may just be starting to reactivate their industries. Above, a truck passes shipping containers at the Port of Los Angeles.
Mario Tama via Getty Images

How Fed "tapering" can make mortgages more expensive

Dec 2, 2021
It opens the door to interest rate hikes.
Homebuyers have been benefiting from low interest rates. The Federal Reserve's plan to reduce bond purchases may change that.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

How will the coronavirus omicron variant affect the economy?

Nov 29, 2021
Omicron might play out in a similar way to delta, with a sharp drop in consumer spending. Tourism in particular would likely take a big hit.
Even without lockdowns, the omicron variant could still stall economic recovery. Above, a trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Monday.
Spencer Platt via Getty Images

Are we headed toward a wage-price inflation cycle in 2022?

Nov 26, 2021
Economist Betsey Stevenson weighs in on fixing the supply-and-demand imbalance for semiconductors and other goods to quell inflation.
A prolonged semiconductor shortage could mean higher prices for goods like cars, adding to inflationary pressures.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images