Marketplace

The White House’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications is adding extra pressure to health care systems in rural and low-income areas. Historically, the visa has been a critical pipeline for skilled health workers in hard-to-staff settings. Affected hospitals are already feeling the added strain. Also in this episode: A bitcoin downturn won’t just hurt crypto bros, Panera announces an overhaul amid floundering fast-casual sales, and the EV market soldiers on, despite sunsetted tax subsidies and emissions regulations.

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A few big box retailers report earnings soon, including Target, Walmart and Lowe’s. That could give some clarity on the state of the American consumer as we head into the holiday shopping season. Though of course Nvidia, the top-performing tech firm on Wall Street, will be the most exciting earnings call of the week. We’ll explain what all the hype’s about. Also in this episode: the NAR predicts homes sales will jump 14% next year and a former coal mining town pivots to nuclear.

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The latest in President Donald Trump’s trade war waffling? Tariff exemptions aimed at lowering Americans’ grocery bills. Affected products could include supermarket staples, like coffee and bananas from Ecuador, Argentina, El Salvador and Guatemala. In this episode, how long it could take for shoppers and businesses to see lower prices. Plus: Work permit rollbacks fuel a janitorial workforce crunch in Texas, moviegoers shell out for IMAX screenings, and we check in with a Pennsylvania customs broker.

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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.

With the government shutdown officially over, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is back at work after a 43-day hiatus. But all that missed data can’t be recreated — and catching up while understaffed will be difficult. In this episode: What reports will BLS prioritize and what’ll be left behind? Plus: Solar projects rush to finish before a tax credit deadline, Disney stops reporting its streaming subscriber numbers, and businesses strategize for a world without pennies.

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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.

Consumers may have revved up their spending in October, but spending more doesn’t mean getting more — prices are also up this holiday season. In this episode, why most shoppers feel like they're doing less with more. Plus: Auto loan delinquencies rise, mortgage applications heat up during an often-chilly season, and Kai explains the price-earnings ratio of the S&P 500, which is at a decades-high.

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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.

Business owners aren’t too optimistic about the labor market, according to an NFIB survey. About a third are struggling to fill an open position, and around a quarter said labor quality was their most pressing issue. In this episode, we scrape together a picture of today’s labor market, sans government data. Plus: Cities issue bonds at a record pace, we explain the consequences of Trump’s proposal to back 50-year mortgages and one report shows real wage growth has slowed to 2%.

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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.

Despite expectations surrounding President Donald Trump’s tariffs, inflation doesn’t seem to be speeding up — though it’s hard to say for sure without all that reliable federal data. You can thank cooling services inflation (where most consumer spending goes) and a softer labor market, which has reduced some companies’ ability to raise prices. Also in this episode: Corporate earnings look bright and sunny, Visa and Mastercard reach an agreement with merchants over credit card fees, and retailers revive physical holiday catalogs.

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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.

Consumer sentiment — as in, how everyday people feel about the economy — fell to a low not seen since 2022, according to the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers. The decline was consistent across demographics, except among the wealthiest Americans (as measured by volume of stock market holdings). In other words, economic mood just became another k-shaped indicator. Also in this episode: Colleges shutter satellite campuses to cut costs and small and midsize businesses shrink their headcounts.

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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 firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas counted over 153,000 job cuts in this country last month — the most October layoffs since 2003. Are companies pivoting to save money in light of over hiring and AI, or we are we moving toward a more serious slowdown? Also in this episode: A training center in China narrows the gap between tech manufacturing labor supply and demand, the FAA orders flight cuts, and “green” data centers face expensive challenges.

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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.

With no government jobs data available during the shutdown, analysts have turned to private reports for clues about the labor market. In the latest round, ADP said private companies added jobs in October, despite job openings hitting their lowest level since early 2021. Experts say the labor market is stalled but stable, though risks of a downturn are growing. Also in this episode: the K-shaped economy comes for the housing market, global food systems face challenges with limited land, and Southwest cuts accommodations for larger-bodied flyers.

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.