Feb 21, 2023

How retailers are prepping for the unpredictable

Kena Betancur/Getty Images

While economists mull the likelihood of a recession, sellers have to decide what to buy right now. Plus, charting business recovery in China’s most locked-down city.

Segments From this episode

For those who sell, predicting the economy is more than theoretical

by Sabri Ben-Achour

Feb 21, 2023

Manufacturers and retailers have to decide what to make or stock now based on where they think the economy will be later.

Retailers will often mark down prices to move inventory. But suppliers will sometimes share in the loss by giving retailers a credit.

Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty Images

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A Supreme Court case involving Google raises questions about how tech manages content

by Matt Levin

Feb 21, 2023

The case centers on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields tech platforms from legal liability over third-party content.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

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For online shoppers, is too much variety a blessing or a curse?

by Kai Ryssdal and Nicholas Guiang

Feb 21, 2023

With thousands of items and products to choose from, consumers need to protect themselves from making the wrong purchase.

Sifting through the thousands of product choices online is getting harder.

Tom Cooper/Getty Images

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Existing home sales are down nearly 37%, NAR data shows

by Samantha Fields

Feb 21, 2023

Prices are still rising, but more slowly. What does that mean for house hunters this spring?

"We're at a very interesting point in the U.S. housing market where many people feel like the 2023 could really go either way," says Igor Popov, chief economist at Apartment List.

Mario Tama/Getty

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In China's most locked-down city, business can resume but recovery is a long way off

by Jennifer Pak

Feb 21, 2023

The Chinese city of Ruili, on the border with Myanmar, has had more lockdowns than almost any other place in China.

A jade seller and two women stare at their cellphones in Ruili. Vendors are trickling back to the Jiegao jade market, but customers are few and far between.

Charles Zhang/Marketplace

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My Economy

Retirement might not be in the cards for everyone

by Sarah Leeson

Feb 21, 2023

Shelley Rivers, a substitute teacher in Iowa City, Iowa, says she never even had the expectation that she'd fully retire.

Putting enough away to comfortably retire might be beyond many Americans' means.

(Photo by Graeme Robertson/Getty Images)

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Music from the episode

Rainy Daze (White Cliffs Remix) Poolside, StemsDAO, White Cliffs

Life in the Tropics Cienfue

Starring You Shafiq Husayn

Counting Stars Nujabes

Lemon Lime Emancipator, Cloudchord

Black Sail Chastity Belt

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sarah Leeson Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I

Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer

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