Jobs IRLDecoding DemocracyA Warmer WorldI've Always Wondered ...

Loading...

0:00
0% played
Stories Tagged as

Economy

Why are Americans' views on the economy so mixed?

by Kristin Schwab
Oct 30, 2023
In one poll, 44% of respondents say they’re stressed about the economy. Meanwhile, 34% say they’re optimistic.
Change is hard. And it’s not fun, even if your raise does cover how much extra you’re spending at the grocery store. 
Mario Tama/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Corporate debt is getting more expensive. That's not necessarily a problem.

by Justin Ho
Oct 27, 2023
Both government and corporate bond yields have been climbing. For many companies, though, higher revenue more than covers the cost.
A lot of companies sold bonds to investors a few years ago, when interest rates were low.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE
National Debt

Federal Reserve losses contribute to federal deficit

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Oct 24, 2023
When the central bank makes money, it hands it to the Treasury. But now it's losing money as it pays interest to banks on their deposits.
The Fed is, among other things, a bank for banks, and it pays interest to those banks. Those interest rates have gone up. Above, the Eccles building, which houses Fed governors' offices.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE
A Warmer World

More than 130 major companies press world leaders to phase out fossil fuels by 2035

by Nova Safo
Oct 24, 2023
Companies including Ikea, Nestle, Unilever and Volvo are saying that they're already grappling with the costs of the climate crisis.
Unilever is among the companies that signed on to a recent letter ahead of COP28 urging world leaders to cut fossil fuel use.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Why are bond yields so high right now?

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Oct 23, 2023
The yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly hit 5%, the highest level since 2007. A resilient economy and expanding debt are pushing rates up.
For a while, bond markets expected a weaker economy and possible rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2024.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

As the labor market loosens, workers may be more willing to work nights and weekends

by Stephanie Hughes
Oct 20, 2023
They may find it attractive to earn money while others are playing.
"People are reconsidering their income needs and maybe could find ways to time their classes, time their childcare, to what the employers are offering," said Penn State Abington economics professor Lonnie Golden.
olaser/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Fed chair Powell's latest speech hints at caution regarding interest rates

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer
Oct 20, 2023
Jerome Powell spoke Oct. 19 and said the Federal Open Market Committee would be "proceeding carefully."
“Given the uncertainties and risks, and given how far we’ve come, the committee is proceeding carefully," Powell said.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

For public good, not for profit.

Donate

Did retail sales grow because we bought more stuff, or did the stuff get more expensive?

by Justin Ho
Oct 17, 2023
The way the Census Bureau calculates its retail sales data wasn't an issue until prices started rising a couple years back.
Grocery store spending rose 0.4% in September, according to the Census Bureau.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

September's real wages are expected to rise

by Mitchell Hartman
Oct 9, 2023
And that would mean your paycheck's purchasing power would be getting a boost relative to inflation.
Rising real wages means consumers are "making up for the consumption power that they lost when prices were rising faster than wages," says Erica Groshen, former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

When will prices go back down?

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Oct 6, 2023
The answer might disappoint you.
Inflation is slowing, but when will prices go back down? Above: Shoppers walk through a grocery store in Washington, DC.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
ListenLISTEN
HTML EMBED:
COPY
EMBED EMBED
Share Now on:
SHARE
Subscribe Using:
SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE