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Just keep it

Over half of major retailers now have a return-less refund policy — aka, they'll pay you to keep items — according to a goTRG report. Returns cost retailers a lot, so why take stuff ba

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The urban-rural wage gap

People in cities have, on average, made more money than people in rural parts of America for decades. Now, that disparity seems to be widening. In 2023, urban dwellers are making 23% more than rural o

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An oil exec hosting COP28? Surprise!

The United Nations' climate change conference kicks off tomorrow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where tens of thousands of global leaders, experts and activists will discuss how to reduce greenhouse

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Are we there yet? How about now?

We've been talking about making an economic soft landing for over a year — but how will the Federal Reserve know we're there? In this episode, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee tells us what indic

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Global trade may be back on track

After a yearlong slump, the World Trade Organization said the volume of global trade in goods is set to rebound in the coming year. Leading the charge will be auto parts and electronic components, the

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Shoppers love easy returns. But retailers aren’t sold on ’em.

Americans will drop $37 billion online this long holiday shopping weekend, according to Adobe Analytics. A lot of those consumers are counting on free, easy returns if their items don't work out, but

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It’s all about that holiday spending

It's not just you: The holiday shopping season really did start sooner this year. Retailers are competing for consumer dollars with sales and discounts, early and often. Plus, tomorrow is one of retai

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Grocery prices are a little less stuffed this Thanksgiving

The Farm Bureau says Thanksgiving meals will cost a bit less than they did in 2022. But everyone experiences the economy differently. So we talked to last-minute grocery shoppers in Houston about the

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Happy birthday, ChatGPT!

Next week marks one year since ChatGPT debuted, kicking off a surge in generative artificial intelligence products. In just a year, AI has gone from a futuristic concept to a tool tons of companies ha

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What’s next for the artificial intelligence industry?

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, ousted its CEO Sam Altman last week. Chaos ensued. Now, although Altman has already scored a job at Microsoft, most of OpenAI's employees are threatening to quit if

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Capitol Hill doesn’t love this crop insurance program. Some farmers say they need it.

There is a provision in the newly passed farm bill extension has enemies across the political spectrum: the Federal Crop Insurance Program. Left-leaning groups believe it doesn't reach a breadth of fa

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The calm after the employment storm

At last, the labor market is showing signs that it's finding a happy medium: New unemployment claims are inching up while overall unemployment is still at a historic low. While this isn't the gangbust

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Milton Friedman’s impact

Like it or not, economist Milton Friedman had lots of ideas that still affect economic policy and programs. In her new book, “Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative, Jennifer Burns writes about Friedm

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Climate change could heat up long-term inflation

Climate change may have us spending more on food, health care, home repairs and more, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, published by the federal government. The fact is, climate chan

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Once again, a shutdown looms

Congress is facing yet another government shutdown deadline at the end of this week. If a deal isn't reached by Friday at midnight, hundreds of thousands of federal workers will stop getting paid, whi

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Consumers are feeling Scrooge-y about the economy. Will they spend less for the holidays?

Consumer sentiment just dropped to a new six-month low, according to the University of Michigan's consumer survey. But in this post-2020 world, how folks feel about the economy doesn't always line up

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More Americans than ever are enrolled in ACA coverage

More than 16 million people signed up for health care coverage last year through federal or state marketplaces, which were made possible by the Affordable Care Act. One reason that number is so high?

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A “laddered” continuing resolution, explained

House Republicans are floating a new idea for staving off a government shutdown: staggered funding deadlines for different parts of the government, or, as they're calling it, a laddered continuing res

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Why China may be selling its U.S. debt

China is the second-biggest foreign holder of U.S. debt, but its total holdings recently hit a low not seen since 2009. In this episode, we'll talk through a few theories on why China appears to be of

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Undergrad workers unionize

From Harvard to the University of Oregon, a growing number of undergraduate students are forming labor unions. In this episode, we'll talk to students involved in labor organizing efforts and hear wha

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Does the Fed control the economy?

When it comes to the Federal Reserve's powers, raising or lowering interest rates is pretty cool. But there are a ton of economic factors the Fed doesn't get a say in — gas price fluctuation, stock ma

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Is there a downside to economic resilience?

In his statement after the Federal Reserve's rate-setting meeting yesterday, Chair Jerome Powell said, basically, that a too-resilient economy could put measures at risk. But isn't r

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No change at the Fed, but what about the bond market?

The Federal Reserve opted to keep interest rates unchanged at its policymaking meeting today, but there's Treasury news that has interest rate implications. In this episode, we'll get into the Treasur

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Why the Federal Reserve fears wage spikes

Recent data shows that while labor costs are still rising, they aren't growing crazy fast. That's good news for the Federal Reserve, which wouldn't want to see a wage-price spiral nightmare this Hallo

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Americans are giving the economy mixed reviews

In a recent Harris poll, 44% of respondents said they're stressed economically. But in the same poll, 34% said they're optimistic. What gives? In this episode, how the American middle class is experie

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Examining health care inflation

Health care costs contributed big to September’s inflation reading, though the sector’s price increases have lagged other industries for most of the last year. But lately, consumers and insurers are s

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Hear that boom? It’s the economy.

Gross domestic product expanded at a 4.9% rate in the third quarter, driven by a consumer who couldn't pass up high-priced concert tickets and big-ticket durable goods. But is that torrid pace sustain

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Put The Glasses On!

(00:21) Asit Sharma and Deidre Woollard discuss: - Why this quarter has been so good for ad revenue and if that might change. - How Meta’s spending on virtual reality could pay off. - If Apple or Meta

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Is there a cure for the nurse shortage?

As America gets older, its people need nursing homes, and nursing homes need nurses. There’s not enough of them, and even government mandates may not fix the problem. We delve into the gap. Also, GM s

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One of these Clouds Is Not Like the Other

Alphabet shed $100 billion in market value as it ceded some ground in the cloud competition. (00:21) Ricky Mulvey and Nick Sciple discuss: - Microsoft’s quarter and focus on Copilot. - If Bing can bec

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Part of the deficit: Federal Reserve interest costs

As the federal budget deficit widens, we'll take a look at one contributing factor: the Federal Reserve's obligation to pay interest to banks. It's outpacing income the Fed makes from the securities i

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Weight-Loss Drugs and Coca-Cola

The United Nations' climate change conference kicks off tomorrow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where tens of thousands of global leaders, experts and activists will discuss how to reduce greenhouse3