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In Taiwan's election, young voters focus on inflation, wages and war

Jan 12, 2024
The U.S. and China loom large over Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13, but so do domestic bread-and-butter issues.
A man wearing a Team Taiwan jacket from the governing DPP party takes a photo of a group of supporters at a political rally in central Taipei.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

2024 economic forecasts bring optimism and uncertainty

Jan 3, 2024
Fairly low unemployment, gradually slowing inflation and continued economic growth are all positive signals. But there are risks too.
“Rather than cautiously optimistic, I’d say we’re optimistically cautious,” said Vanguard's Andrew Patterson of 2024's economic outlook.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Why Germany’s economic backbone is saying “auf wiedersehen”

Germany is facing a budget crisis amid rising energy costs, urgent calls for immigration reform and more pressing issues.
"Germany mostly lives off the fumes of its past reputation," said  Stephan Richter, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Globalist. Above, the skyline of Frankfurt, Germany's financial hub.
Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

Contractors are busy building single-family homes. That's good news on a lot of fronts.

Nov 24, 2023
Construction supports businesses throughout the supply chain and keeps the national housing deficit from growing.
While mortgage rates are still high, so is demand for homes — and there aren't enough houses on the market.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Could vertical farms help fill unwanted office space?

Nov 22, 2023
Vertical farms “can take the spaces that are hard to rent,” explains real estate developer Brian Friedman.
Racks of lettuces growing at a vertical farm.
onurdongel/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

Durable goods orders have been rising. That's great news for the economy.

Nov 22, 2023
Businesses don't buy 'em unless they think they need 'em.
If businesses are splurging on durable goods, "the economy is still expanding," said Nationwide's Kathy Bostjancic.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

As a recession fails to materialize, some economists are changing their tune

Nov 21, 2023
The Index of Leading Economic Indicators has been pointing to a slowdown for 19 months. It hasn't materialized.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Why are long-term bond yields so high? Even Jerome Powell wants to know

Nov 10, 2023
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said that we “don’t really know” why long-term bond yields have been going up.
Hasn't Powell been listening to "Marketplace?"
Alex Wong/Getty Images

The latest push for a national retirement savings system

A new bill follows up on recent bipartisan legislation to expand access to retirement savings.
A new bill in Congress, the Retirement Savings for Americans Act, would boost retirement security for low- and moderate-income workers.
Mark Makela/Getty Images

Why would China sell off its U.S. debt — if that's what it's doing

Nov 7, 2023
There's a hot debate about what it's doing with its holdings, and the answer could affect how much it costs Americans to borrow money.
"We care about whether foreign governments or entities are buying U.S. Treasurys because it impacts the cost of borrowing in this country," said Jesse Wheeler of Morning Consult.
Mark Schiefelbein/POOL/AFP via Getty Images