Aug 16, 2023

Say we achieve a soft landing. Then what?

Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

If the Federal Reserve lands the economy softly, it'll want to maintain a cool, calm status quo. Plus, a technique for producing green energy inspired by a cactus.

Segments From this episode

Retail inventories have dropped. But discounts might stick around.

by Justin Ho

Aug 16, 2023

Over the last year, many retailers have been successfully using discounts to purge their excess inventories. Now, retailers might use discounts to lure skittish consumers.

Target announced its inventories were down 17% from last year.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

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What kind of signal does FOMC unanimity send to markets and others watching the economy?

by Matt Levin

Aug 16, 2023

Dissent on interest rate decisions might send mixed messages to Wall Street about where the economy is headed.

Under Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, the FOMC has not had a single dissenting vote on interest rates since June of last year, which former FOMC member Tom Hoenig wasn't surprised by.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

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U.S. equity investors think stocks are too expensive, survey finds

by Mitchell Hartman

Aug 16, 2023

S&P Global’s investment manager index survey says most sectors are losing favor with investors. What's going on?

Climbing interest rates are pushing investors away from stocks and into bonds, per Gary Schlossberg with the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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Adventures in Housing

The economic and logistical realities of straw-bale building

by Maria Hollenhorst

Aug 16, 2023

One couple shares their experience with an alternative construction project.

David and Carrie Chew stand in the wooden frame of their incomplete straw-bale house in 2022.

Courtesy David and Carrie Chew

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What comes after a soft landing?

by Kristin Schwab

Aug 16, 2023

There are only so many options. Ideally, they don't include a boom or a bust.

If the Federal Reserve tames inflation and avoids a recession, it will want to maintain the status quo — without a boom or a bust.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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How the prickly pear cactus inspired a scientist seeking alternatives to fossil fuels

by Zoe Kurland

Aug 16, 2023

Engineers at the University of Texas at El Paso have discovered a low-cost, "biomimetic" way of generating hydrogen gas.

Materials engineer Navid Attarzadeh with a prickly pear cactus. The form of the plant inspired a new design for hydrogen gas generation.

Zoe Kurland/Marfa Public Radio

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Music from the episode

Cigarette Jang Beom June

Mean Green Snarky Puppy

Switch Cass McCombs

So We Won't Forget Khruangbin

Conduction Mocky

Soft Stud Black Belt Eagle Scout

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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