GDP growth comes at expense of consumer savings

Big Tech firms saw major stock market slides this week. Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Intel all dropped, following less-than-stellar earnings reports. Cracks are showing in the tech biz, and they aren’t all related to AI. Is this the beginning of an AI bubble burst? We’ll explain. Plus: How companies decide whether to offer buyouts or do traditional layoffs, what it’s like to go back to school in your 40s, and where new affordable EVs are available (hint: outside the U.S.)Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:Don't let this economy give you a frightInside Big Tech companies' big slump this weekShe loved bartending. Then she decided to head back to schoolWhy companies offer buyouts versus layoffsTo test drive affordable EVs, he took a trip to CDMX

Fresh data showed the economy grew faster than expected, at a 3.4% annual rate in the third quarter. Prices grew too, by 3.6%. Robust consumer spending tends to drive GDP, but the consumer savings rate — an important financial cushion — is falling. In this episode, when will strong topline economic figures catch up to a precarious consumer reality? Plus: Alphabet stock slides after a disappointing earnings report, apple orchards reap the devastating effects of unusual spring weather, and jobless stats misalign with labor market perceptions.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:The economy grew 3.4% this summer, but consumers got there by saving lessUnemployment numbers are near a 57-year low. Why doesn't it feel like it?Here's why Alphabet stock plummeted todayChina, the world's second largest economy, considers itself "developing." Why?Apple-picking looks different this season after “devastating year" for orchards

Fed governors met this week and voted to keep interest rates steady at just below 4%. The central bank says it’s taking a “wait and see” approach to elevated inflation. But what does that mean for banks and businesses that want to borrow money? In this episode, economic forces make for a fraught lending environment. Plus: We take a trip to Costco to understand how toilet paper is an economic indicator, and spend the day out west with a Wyoming cattle brand inspector. Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:As interest rates rise, lending gets more fraught for businesses and banksA day in the life of a Wyoming cattle brand inspectorHow student loans have shaped this family’s economyWhat toilet paper sales tell us about consumer spendingCopper wire stripping is making people money on TikTok

The housing market is a bit chilly right now — new home sales are down, and so are prices. But current homeowners watched their property values grow over the past several years. So when it comes to selling, they’ve got (as Olivia Rodrigo might say) real big expectations. In this episode, the disconnect between need-to-sell homeowners and price-sensitive buyers. Plus: Consumer confidence continues its bumpy journey, durable goods orders are picking up, and we visit Brownsville, Texas, where SpaceX launches are taking over the skies.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:Durable goods orders have been picking up. And it’s not just AI.Selling your home? You may need to adjust expectationsConsumer confidence ticked up in October. Is it just a blip?In South Texas, rocket launches are part of a bigger economic shiftCapitalism and democracy go hand in hand, according to new indexFor this candy store, it's all about the customers

A few Big Tech firms are slated to explain their quarterly earnings later this week. AI will, of course, be the protagonist of these earnings calls. Investors are hoping for some positive character development, or at least a spoiler for any plot twists. In this episode, the next installment of the AI narrative. Plus: Central banks prepare for interest rate setting, Treasury rates rise with heightened risk, and the Energy Department adds helium to its critical materials list — again.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:AI is the main character in Big Tech's earnings storiesWill the world's central banks rase interest rates this week?At the Belcourt Theatre, you can see everything (including the documentary)Helium is back on the U.S. list of 'critical materials'Treasury interest rates are up because they're looking riskyAging farmers and the government want to save farms, but for many the cost is too high

Big Tech is kind of carrying the stock market right now, thanks to all that spendy artificial intelligence innovation. That means your retirement account is probably invested in at least some AI stocks. So we asked an expert: If the theoretical AI bubble pops, will those 401(k)s be OK? Also in this episode: New data shows healthy growth in the private sector, Kai goes over the week’s economic headlines ahead of another Fed rate decision, and we visit a cyber-scam compound in Cambodia.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:Treasury yields, tech stocks, and consumer sentiment all took a slide this weekInside a Cambodian cyber scam compoundThere's reason to believe the private sector economy is actually doing pretty wellGot a 401(k)? There's a good chance it's invested in AI

Everyday consumers aren’t the only ones contending with rising borrowing costs. Corporations are also subject to those fluctuations — but the rates don’t rise equally across the board. In this episode, why companies with the corporate equivalent of low credit scores are seeing extra-high borrowing costs right now. Also in this episode: Rising crude oil prices spell trouble for sustained inflation, P&G raises sales with “innovation-based pricing,” and independent mechanics struggle to repair newer tech-integrated cars.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:How rising crude oil prices could impact the U.S. and global economy"Innovation-based pricing": new versions of old products at higher pricesRising rates are stressing out the riskiest companiesThis CPA quit, then did one fun thing every day of her job huntHas the recipe for Reese's changed? It depends on how you define 'change'Independent garages juggle mechanic shortage and computerized autos

In Crook County, Oregon, just east of the Cascade mountains, data centers sprawl across the high desert landscape. The area fell into economic decline during the Great Recession and some residents welcomed investment by Meta and Apple in the form of massive data center complexes. But 15 years on, was it worth it? In this episode, what happens when data centers come to town. Plus, mergers and spinoffs: Abbott plans to turn its baby formula operation into a standalone company, and Elon Musk explores a plan to combine Tesla and SpaceX.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:Data centers boosted one Oregon town's economy, but some residents have had enoughAbbott Laboratories announces a baby formula spinoff companyElon Musk wants to merge SpaceX and TeslaIf “demographics are destiny,” what’s in store for the U.S. economy?

On Tuesday morning, lenders like KeyCorp, Mercantile Bank, and Atlantic Union Bank turned in their earnings reports. Those types of regional banks make plenty of loans, especially to midsize companies. In this episode, we look at how they might start getting pickier if rates increase. Also, we’ll look at retailers fighting to offer value to customers, how AI is being used in publishing, Magic: The Gathering driving growth at Hasbro, a wild game processing company, and the booming horror industry.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:Midsize lenders thrived in the third quarter. Can it last?Walmart is offering a new membership bundle in fight for valueAI (still) has the publishing industry in a tizzyMagic: The Gathering is driving growth at HasbroHunters have to hunt for a place to turn wild game into foodHorror is good business — not just during Halloween

Inflation is affecting all of us. But when costs go up, lower-income households are especially vulnerable to credit creep — that’s when consumers use credit for more and more transactions. One survey found 29% of buy now, pay later users took out the loans to pay for groceries, double the percentage from just a couple of years ago. Also in this episode: What might happen to the labor market if Fed raises interest rates, how immigration crackdowns are tied to a 14-year homebuilder confidence low, and why political candidates are competing for AI attention.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today’s episode:What will happen to the job market if the Fed raises interest rates?Struggling consumers are increasingly turning to high-cost credit for basic needsThis farmer was promised a $20,000 grant to go solar. USDA changed the rulesHow immigration crackdowns are tightening the construction labor marketCandidates campaign for AI attentionHome-based coffee shops provide unique perks for owners and customers