Feb 29, 2024

Personal incomes rose in January

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

PCE data also showed prices up 2.4% from the same time last year, suggesting that inflation is still trending down.

Segments From this episode

What do falling inflation and rising incomes mean for consumer spending?

by Justin Ho

Feb 29, 2024

The January PCE report showed inflation easing further but still significant. Moderation in spending could also continue, analysts say.

Wage growth was resilient in January, but Social Security and other factors added to income gains.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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For some online bank customers, not all high-yield savings accounts are equal

by Amy Scott and Richard Cunningham

Feb 29, 2024

Online-centric bank customers with high-yield savings accounts aren’t getting the bang for their buck.

“Make sure you're checking your statements or your online banking portal and seeing what your rate is there," says Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Ensign.

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

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The Biden administration is worried about Chinese cars — and the electronics that come with them

by Sabri Ben-Achour

Feb 29, 2024

The administration says the electronics could transmit sensitive information about U.S citizens and infrastructure. But it's also worried about the impact of Chinese EVs on U.S. automakers.

BYD electric cars waiting to be loaded onto a cargo ship in China's Shandog province. The U.S. currently imposes a 27.5% tariff on Chinese-made vehicles.

STR/AFP via Getty Images

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Farmworkers are making — and enforcing — the strongest heat protection rules in the country

by Amy Scott and Sarah Leeson

Feb 29, 2024

Farms that participate in the Fair Food Program ensure workers have access to things like shade and water. In return, they're first in line to sell to big buyers.

Farms participating in the Fair Food Program ensure farmworkers receive certain heat protections, including access to shaded areas and water.

Photo Courtesy of Eva Marie Uzcategui for The Washington Post

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Brenda Brooks dropped out of college 40 years ago. Federal rules mean she can’t afford to return.

by Lisa Kurian Philip

Feb 29, 2024

Now 60, she learned that her decades-old GPA disqualifies her from receiving federal loans or grants.

Brooks started college in the 1980s as a young adult with two small children. Like 40 million other Americans, she didn't finish.

Courtesy Brooks

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Music from the episode

"My Number" Foals

"Big Break" Ensemble Entendu

"Reflektor" Arcade Fire

"Real and the Ideal" Atlus/Shoji Meguro

"Used to be in Love" The Jungle Giants

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

Sofia Terenzio Assistant Producer

Jordan Mangi Assistant Digital Producer

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