Jan 12, 2022

Inflation may have already peaked

Some stores are stocking fewer items or reducing their hours to deal with rising costs. Other businesses are creating new purchasing, storage or delivery strategies. Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images

On today's show we do the numbers. Plus, we visit new nuclear plants, contemplate career pivots and trace the debate over alimony

Segments From this episode

Inflation is high, but has it peaked?

by Sabri Ben-Achour

Jan 12, 2022

Inflation is high but decelerating. So when will it decelerate to something normal?

Though there are hints that inflation may be near its peak, economists debate how long factors that influence it — like the labor shortage — could persist.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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Are wages outpacing inflation? Depends on what you do.

by Justin Ho

Jan 12, 2022

Real average hourly pay increased 0.1% in December. Generally, wages are beating inflation, but some industries are lagging.

While pay in leisure and hospitality is increasing faster than prices, sectors like construction and manufacturing are lagging behind.

Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

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A Warmer World

Oil jobs abound in West Texas, but obstacles hamper hiring

by Andy Uhler

Jan 12, 2022

Is it the Great Resignation? A clean-energy future? Higher wages? Or all of the above?

Unemployment in Midland, Texas, has dropped since the summer, but the city's labor market remains tight.

Montinique Monroe/Getty Images

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My Economy

How a “gap year” away from the gig economy changed this artist’s life

by Maria Hollenhorst

Jan 12, 2022

“Time became the thing we identified as the ultimate privilege,” said Atiya Jones, a visual artist in Pittsburgh.

Atiya Jones rides a horse in New Mexico during her grant-funded "gap year." "My work is deeply inspired by the things I see," she said.

Courtesy Atiya Jones

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NuScale, compact nuclear plant developer, plans to go public

by Mitchell Hartman

Jan 12, 2022

The company has created a modular design it says makes financial sense. Though carbon-free, nuclear remains controversial.

An artist’s rendering of a NuScale Power nuclear facility. Though the energy source is carbon-free, accidents like the disaster at Fukushima, Japan, have diminished its popularity.

Courtesy NuScale Power

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Alimony till death

From Marketplace’s “This is Uncomfortable”: When Sonia Delgado divorced her husband after 30 years of a bad marriage, she thought she’d finally seized financial freedom. Instead, she faced a lifetime of alimony.

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The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer II

Andie Corban Producer I

Sean McHenry Director & Associate Producer II

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer I

Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer

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