❗Help close the gap: We still need to raise $40,000 by the end of March. Donate now
So what can the Fed actually do about inflation?
Dec 14, 2021

So what can the Fed actually do about inflation?

HTML EMBED:
COPY
Plus: A look at mixed messaging on oil consumption and how some companies are profiting from supply chain hiccups.

Segments From this episode

The Fed has ways to put the brakes on rising prices

Dec 14, 2021
Most of them need a little time to slow the economy down.
To curb inflation, the central bank can reduce bond buying, raise interest rates and try to  influence consumers' expectations and behavior.
Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Oil supply may finally catch up with demand. But what about emissions?

Dec 14, 2021
There's a disconnect between the ongoing demand for fossil fuels and White House messaging about reaching net-zero emissions.
Despite wanting and needing to reduce oil consumption, many countries are still largely fossil-fuel dependent. Above: An oil refinery operates in Houston, Texas.
Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

Shopping for a new car is hard — and may stay that way

Dec 14, 2021
The global chip shortage. Supply chain headaches. Empty dealer lots and sky-high prices. New car shopping isn't for the faint of heart.
An aerial view of a Ford dealership in Richmond, California, shows a nearly empty sales lot.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

Does the DIY home improvement boom have staying power?

Dec 14, 2021
Do-it-yourself projects were declining. Then the pandemic arrived.
Jessa Wais is co-director of the Station North Tool Library in Baltimore, where members can borrow tools and take home-repair classes.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

How some companies manage to profit from supply chain kinks

Dec 14, 2021
While businesses are not immune to the global logistics nightmare, those that primarily source domestically have an advantage.
The factory floor at the Thompson Creek Window Co. CEO Rick Wuest said being domestically sourced means reliability. “We seized the window of opportunity," he said.
Nancy Marshall-Genzer

In rural West Texas, the demand for well water is growing

Dec 14, 2021
People have been moving to far West Texas during the pandemic, but officials are concerned there isn't enough water to go around.
Lee Killingsworth and another driller operate the rig and look out onto the property.
Zoe Kurland

Music from the episode

A Matterapat Dr. Lonnie Smith
Heard 'Em Say Kanye West, Adam Levine
El Jardin Hermanos Gutiérrez
Bustling Freddie Joachim
Go Gina SZA

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