Marketplace All-in-One

The U.S. unemployment rate climbed to 4.6% in November, according to the latest BLS jobs report. There’s also data showing more Americans are reentering the workforce and more part-time workers are looking for full-time roles. In this episode, we explain what it all means for the broader economy. Plus: Advertising revenue is projected to top $1 trillion in 2025, hiring in the once-strong health care sector may slow soon, and artificial intelligence drives some young people into trade school.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.

Roughly 1 in 4 Americans now identifies as a family caregiver. That share has risen dramatically over the past decade. With more people needing care and limited options for affordable long-term care services in the United States, caregivers are strained—often mentally and financially. On today’s show, Debra Whitman, chief public policy officer of AARP, joins Kimberly to unpack how this “invisible workforce” fits into the broader economy and how we can make caregiving more sustainable for families.Here’s everything we talked about today:"Caregiving in the US 2025" from AARP"The number of “sandwich generation” caregivers is growing" from Marketplace "If Americans Were Paid For Their Caregiving, They Would Make More Than $1.1 Trillion" from the National Partnership for Women and Families"Returning to the Workforce After Being a Caregiver" from Harvard Business Review"Invisible crisis: America’s caregivers and the $600 billion unpaid cost of their labor" from ABC News"Caregiving in the US 2025: Caring Across States" from AARPWe love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

The cost of health insurance is becoming increasingly unaffordable. With many Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies set to expire, coverage is about to get even more pricier for more than 20 million people next year. These growing costs are fueling interest in a market for cash-only doctors. Today, we'll hear more. But first, all of those government layoffs and employee buyouts have hit the labor market. We’ll discuss.

How many jobs did the U.S. economy gain or lose last month? We'll find out later this morning. The numbers are about a week late, as the folks at the Bureau of Labor Statistics needed a minute to catch up after the government shutdown. Economists' expectations are low. Then, an investigation in New York looks into allegations of systemic fraud big banks are facing over foreclosure auctions. We'll help you understand the story.

From the BBC World Service: Volkswagen has been making cars in Germany for 88 years. In all that time, it's never closed a manufacturing plant in its home country until now. On Tuesday, the last vehicle will roll off the assembly line at the VW plant in Dresden. It comes as the company struggles with the transition to EVs. Plus, the head of Ukraine's largest energy provider says his company is living in permanent crisis mode as Russia steps up attacks on the country's energy grid.

Tech giants are estimated to have spent almost $400 billion in capital expenditures this year, mostly to build data centers for artificial intelligence. A single massive facility can have a price tag in the billions of dollars.And many states want in on that spending spree. Thirty-seven states have some sort of incentive program to attract data centers with the hope of bringing a boost to their local economies. They're giving away hundreds of millions in tax exemptions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Nicholas Miller, policy associate at NCSL, to learn more.

IRS filings for new business applications have been climbing the past few months — particularly in the retail sector. The last time we saw a spike like this was in 2020. Are Americans ditching the corporate life, seeking stability, or in need of a second income? Likely a mix of all three. Also in this episode: Insurance coverage decisions go beyond medication sticker prices, home builder confidence ticks up, and the penny phase-out adds up for businesses doing a lot of cash transactions.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.

There’s more evidence that China’s economy is stalling. Beijing released a batch of government data today that was not encouraging. Chinese consumers have slammed their wallets shut, and data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China paints a picture of stagnating investment, output, and consumption. And later, we'll preview long-delayed economic data slated to come out this week and learn why retailers are hiring fewer workers for the holiday shopping season.

This week, the Senate is set to take up the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act. The House passed it last week. It is more than 3,000 pages of defense policy planning that the Senate will be digging through; the actual funding of these plans comes later. But there's also a whole lot of stuff that's not defense-related. Today, we'll dig in. Plus, we'll hear how China came to dominate in money laundering.

From the BBC World Service: "It's like I'm standing inside a cloud of dust and smoke," says BBC correspondent Devina Gupta of air quality in India's capital. Residents there have been urged to stay indoors, and new restrictions are affecting worker productivity and costing businesses. Then, a Hong Kong court has found media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty of sedition. And later, retailers in the U.S. are hiring a record low number of seasonal employees.

“This Is Uncomfortable” returns Jan. 15. Listen to this note from Reema for more, including an exciting change — we're going to start coming to you weekly! Bringing you more uncomfortable conversations with everyday people, experts, and authors about how money shapes our choices, relationships, and identity.If you liked this episode, share it with a friend. And let us know what you think by emailing uncomfortable@marketplace.org or calling 347-RING-TIU.

Gary Marcus, professor emeritus at NYU, explains the differences between large language models and "world models" — and why he thinks the latter are key to achieving artificial general intelligence.

Florida is a state that often feels tangible impacts of climate change, with strong storms and hurricanes making landfall in the state every hurricane season. However, this year is the first time in a decade that the Sunshine State was spared from experiencing a single hurricane. Jessica Meszaros, a climate change reporter at WUSF, joins Kimberly to explain how Floridians are rebuilding a year after hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton hit the state. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!Here’s what we talked about on the show today:“Florida and the U.S. were spared of hurricanes in 2025, but storms are still rapidly intensifying” from WUSF“Hurricane Helene Response” from US Army Corps of Engineers“Assessment of Agricultural Losses Resulting from Hurricane Milton” from University of Florida IFAS“Disaster and insurance costs are rising. The middle class is struggling to hang on” from NPR“Sorting trash can be dirty and dangerous. Sounds like a job for AI” from Marketplace“Disney comes to Sora: What you can and can't do with the characters” from Axios“How fruitcake became a Christmas classic (even if it’s unpopular)” from MSN“City life is reshaping raccoons – and may be nudging them toward domestication” from The Guardian

While markets are mellowing a bit, three major stock indexes closed at record highs on Thursday. Reminder: The stock market is not the economy! But it still can tell us how investors — and by association, high-income Americans — are feeling about the future. In this episode, who wins when the stock market performs well. Plus: Old MacDonald has a ... drone? And we check-in with three retailers around the U.S. about the holiday shopping season.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.

The Trump administration is reconfiguring a government watchdog that grew out of the Great Recession. The Financial Stability Oversight Council watches out for risks to the financial system to prevent the future need for government bailouts. Now, the Treasury Secretary says the watchdog will focus on boosting economic growth and easing regulations that he says impose “undue burdens." Plus, we follow the money from Machu Picchu and examine the appetite for "extended range" EVs.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and with that, the obligatory office holiday party. Thing is, some choices around holiday parties can tell a story of how a company is doing. Who's there? Who's chatting together or sticking to a corner? What food and drink are being served? Today, we'll help you read the room. But first, most regional Federal Reserve bank presidents have been reappointed, despite some Trump administration proposals to exert greater control over the Fed's regional banks.

From the BBC World Service: Reddit has filed a lawsuit calling for Australia's social media ban for children under 16 to be declared invalid. The text-based forum is one of 10 online platforms covered by the ban, which came into force this week. And later in the program, we head to Peru, where conflicts are brewing over how money from Machu Picchu tickets is being spent and whether it's benefiting tourists and locals.

There’s been something of a critical mass of high-profile departures and retirement announcements at Apple in recent weeks. Plus, how will consumers be helped or hurt by a potential merger between Netflix and Warner Bros or a hostile takeover from Paramount? And McDonald's pulls an AI-generated Christmas ad because some folks on social media weren't “lovin' it.” Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal for this week’s “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell’s latest presser was all about the job market. Buried among the usual talking points, like hiring sentiment and the unemployment rate, was immigration. That’s because the current administration’s immigration policies are complicating Fed measures of labor market health. In this episode, falling immigration turns jobs data on its head. Plus: Robust economic growth comes without typical job creation, U.S.-China trade tensions cool, and one company teaches AI to sort your trash.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.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point Wednesday. And this decision comes as President Donald Trump continues to put pressure on the supposedly independent agency to move the economy the way he wants. Plus, the president is reportedly beginning final interviews for Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s potential successor.Here’s everything we talked about today:“Fed lowers interest rates again amid debate over inflation, jobs” from The Washington Post“Trump to start final Fed chair interviews beginning with Kevin Warsh” from CNBC“What a Fed rate cut means for your home, car and credit card loans” from The Washington Post“Watch out for these refinancing red flags” from Marketplace Morning Report