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Kai Explains

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Kai Explains

What do changes in the stock market actually mean?

by Andie Corban and Kai Ryssdal
Oct 22, 2019
"It's not as simple as it might seem," said Andrea Eisfeldt of UCLA.
A trader exiting the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in April 2013.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Kai Explains

What's behind the price of gasoline?

by Bennett Purser and Kai Ryssdal
Oct 18, 2019
From taxes, to marketing, to refining, a lot into the price of a gallon of gasoline.
A motorist fills his car with gas at a gas station near an oil field pumping rig in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
J Pat Carter/Getty Images
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Kai Explains

How bowling shoes help explain the repo market

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Oct 9, 2019
It’s a wonky subject, but important. Arcades, power grids and plumbing systems also help make sense of it.
If you want to understand the repo market, think about renting shoes at a bowling alley.
Alexander Klein/AFP/GettyImages
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Kai Explains

4 things to know about monthly jobs numbers

by Andie Corban and Kai Ryssdal
Oct 3, 2019
The report tracks how many jobs are created and what the unemployment rate is, among other things.
Farm workers harvesting parsley in Colorado in 2011.
John Moore/Getty Images
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Kai Explains

Breaking down the national debt and budget deficit

by Daisy Palacios and Kai Ryssdal
Oct 1, 2019
It's a new fiscal year for America. Let's look at our debt.
The National Debt Clock, a billboard-sized digital display showing the increasing U.S. debt, in New York City in 2011.
Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
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Kai Explains

The stock market is not the economy

by Daisy Palacios and Kai Ryssdal
Sep 30, 2019
But, yes, the two are related. And that relationship can get pretty interesting.
The New York Stock Exchange.
Daisy Palacios/Marketplace
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Kai Explains

What does the bond market tell us about the economy?

by Sean McHenry and Kai Ryssdal
Sep 27, 2019
If you want to know what's going on in this economy, the bond market is a pretty good place to start.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
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Kai Explains

Why do we care how consumers feel about the economy?

by Kai Ryssdal and Bridget Bodnar
Sep 26, 2019
Consumer spending accounts for about 70% of gross domestic product.
Pedestrians walk through a shopping district in lower Manhattan in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Kai Explains

Understanding how an IPO gets priced

by Andie Corban and Kai Ryssdal
Sep 25, 2019
Kai Ryssdal breaks down the ins and outs of the initial public offering.
A man looks at a graph representing the 12 month decline on October 7, 2008 in London.
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
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Kai Explains

What you should know about household debt

by Bennett Purser and Kai Ryssdal
Sep 24, 2019
Mortgages, auto loans and credit card balances are all on the rise, according to the New York Federal Reserve.
The contingencies allow prospective home buyers to back out of a sale.
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images for Redfin
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