Dec 17, 2021

Omicron on the mind

Samuel Corum via Getty Images

The new variant's here. We'll dig into its economic impact, see how businesses are pivoting yet again and talk about the hunt for one of those elusive rapid COVID tests.

Segments From this episode

The Weekly Wrap

It’s been a week. So let’s take a deep breath to unpack it all. Amy Scott is joined by Politico’s Sudeep Reddy and Business Insider’s Linette Lopez to talk about the Federal Reserve’s meeting this week, the bond market, the spread of omicron and more.

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COVID-19

Facing omicron, businesses stick to COVID-19 protocols and hope for the best

by Kristin Schwab

Dec 17, 2021

Nearly two years into the pandemic, with vaccination mandates and other precautions in place, businesses are operating without new ways to mitigate risk.

With fewer safety nets and little new guidance, businesses are sticking with existing protocols and grappling with how to address the new, highly transmissible omicron variant.

Cindy Ord via Getty Images

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COVID-19

The new holiday tradition: rapid COVID-19 tests?

by Meghan McCarty Carino

Dec 17, 2021

Rapid tests could make holiday gatherings safer, but they can be hard to find when demand surges.

Rapid at-home COVID tests can be difficult to find during surges in cases. Above, an environmental protection organization distributes tests in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on Dec. 17.

Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

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For this sport goods store, getting goods shipped is a sport

From Marketplace’s “Make Me Smart,” we hear from Jinan Minro, who runs a sporting goods business in Boulder, Colorado, about her supply chain issues.

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Private equity will buy up companies to the tune of $1 trillion this year

by Matt Levin

Dec 17, 2021

Thanks, in part, to the pandemic — and the low interest rates that have accompanied it.

Private equity firms, largely invested in by endowments and pension funds, often buy companies saddled with debt, revamp them and sell them for a profit.

Marymary89 via Getty Images

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Hot property market puts Nashville record shop, and other small businesses, at risk

by Paige Pfleger

Dec 17, 2021

The owners of the Groove are struggling to come up with $500,000 to buy the bungalow that houses their store.

The Groove is a small record shop whose owners hope to buy the property they work in so the business can survive.

Paige Pfleger

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Music from the episode

Kick, Push Lupe Fiasco

Harvest Moon Poolside

Circles Post Malone

History Repeats Brittany Howard

Crazy In Love (feat. Jay-Z) Beyoncé, JAY-Z

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Daisy Palacios Senior Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer

Sean McHenry Associate Producer

Andie Corban Associate Producer

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer

Dylan Miettinen Associate Digital Producer

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