Author: Marketplace

You might have heard the word "uncertainty" muttered more than a few times over the last 12 months. Today, we're chatting with an economist brave enough to look uncertainty in the eye and make some predictions for 2026 about the stock market, job market, inflation, and the fate of President Donald Trump's tariffs. And later: Applications for adjustable-rate mortgages have more than doubled over the past year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

From the BBC World Service: The South Korean e-commerce company Coupang has announced a compensation deal worth $1.18 billion for customers after a massive hack that affected two-thirds of the country's population. Coupang is often called “South Korea's Amazon,” and nearly 33 million accounts were exposed. Plus, following the major hack that hit production facilities for Jaguar Land Rover, we look back at this year in cyberattacks. Also: the earliest-known coin minted in Scotland.

This year turned out to be a pretty big year for autonomous vehicles. Waymo is the leader in the robotaxi race and over the last year, its signature Jaguar electric vehicles have become a common sight on the streets and recently freeways of cities around the country.

Companies like Uber and Zooks have expanded their fleets to several metropolitan areas. And Tesla finally rolled out its cybercab service in a limited capacity in Austin.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke to Kirsten Korosec, transportation editor at TechCrunch, about how the robotaxi became a common fixture on city streets this year.

The number of workers recieving end-of-year bonuses is falling. Some of that has to do with shifting workplace norms and some is related to this tight labor market in which employees stay in jobs without extra perks. In this episode, the state of the holiday bonus. Plus: The history of Play-Doh, the year in anime, and a recap of the week’s economic headlines.

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Hey smarties! We’re taking a short break for the holidays. In the meantime, enjoy this bonus episode on one of Kimberly’s favorite topics: anime!

Anime had a big year in 2025. The animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” broke Netflix’s record for most-watched movie on the streaming platform. And “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" became the top-grossing international film ever at the North American box office. When “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” debuted in theaters earlier this year, Kimberly spoke with Crunchyroll’s executive vice president of global commerce Mitchel Berger about the strategy behind the film’s release and the future of anime content.

The "de minimis" tax exemption on packages under $800 shipped to the U.S. came to an end in August. It's a move that's boosted business for logistics companies but has hit some smaller businesses at home and abroad hard. This morning, we'll learn outline the effects the change has had. Also on this morning’s show: an Nvidia licensing deal and the factors driving up precious metal prices.

Now that Christmas presents are unwrapped, many of you — you know who you are — will head to stores to return gifts and get what you actually want. But increasingly, retailers are charging for those returns. Then, a couple of months ago, more than 5 million shoppers embraced a boycott of three major retailers: Amazon, Home Depot, and Target. From "This Is Uncomfortable," we'll learn about the impact it had on shoppers.

From the BBC World Service: There's one word that's dominated the headlines this year: tariffs. Countries around the world have been grappling with the U.S. import taxes central to President Donald Trump's trade policy, so how are countries faring? We check in on Mexico, China, and others. Plus, the Trump administration eliminated the tax exemption for parcels under $800 this year. We investigate how the move is playing out four months on.

About half of U.S. states now require some form of online age verification to prevent kids from accessing certain content — usually pornography. But in some cases, that also means broader categories of adult content that include social media. Drew Harwell, tech reporter at The Washington Post, has been following this.

The average cost of heating is expected to jump more than 9% this winter, according to projections from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. In this episode, why energy bills are up — for home heating and home cooling. Plus: Productivity measurements don’t match up to our service-based economy, Americans invest in U.K. soccer teams, and a growing sector provides training and staffing to AI startups. 

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.