Author: Marketplace

Twice now, figure skaters at the Winter Olympics were told the music they wanted to skate to — and had been practicing to — could not be used. Spain's Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté, who wanted to skate to songs and sounds from "Minions," has since secured the rights. Today, we look into the complicated world of sports, music, and copyright. Also on the program: stocks soar in Japan and what warming waters mean for Maine's fishing industry.

From the BBC World Service: Japanese stocks jumped to record levels after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide win in a snap general election as investors bet on her vision of a “strong and prosperous” nation. The Nikkei 225 benchmark rose as much as 5.7% on Monday, hitting a record high. We also have a report from Ukraine, where Russian drone attacks on energy infrastructure have left much of the city's population in the freezing cold throughout the country's long winter.

According to surveys by the FINRA Foundation, our knowledge of personal finance here in the U.S. went down by 15% between 2009 and 2021. But what if it actually didn't? What if the technology we use to answer the questions is now getting in the way? In 2021, over half of all respondents used a smartphone to fill out the survey. In 2009, none of them used one, according to data from FINRA’s National Financial Capability Study. A new working paper finds that when people use smartphones for surveys they're more likely to respond with the wrong answer or say they don't know. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Montana State University economics professor Carly Urban, one of the authors of the paper, to learn more.

On the whole, consumers are feeling 20% worse about the economy than they were a year ago, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. High prices were cited as one concern, but that’s been a pain point for years. So what’s new? Also in this episode: Uncertainty in the tech sector drums up investor interest in consumer staples, the federal government yanked over 3,000 data sets from public sites under President Trump, and a dancer-educator discusses the business of ballet.

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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.

Hey Smarties! There won’t be a livestream for “Economics on Tap” today. But don’t worry! “Economics on Tap” will return soon on Feb. 20. For now, we’re sharing a new episode from our friends over at “This Is Uncomfortable.” Enjoy!

“Work Drama” is the “This Is Uncomfortable” advice column, answering your questions about sticky work situations. This week, Reema tackles your questions about workplace tension, co-worker cliques, bosses behaving badly, and some bizarre office policies. And she’s joined by one of our favorite culture writers and podcasters, Sarah Hagi, who hosts “Scamfluencers.”

If you have any work drama going on, we want to hear about it! You can send it to us at uncomfortable@marketplace.org, leave a message at 347-RING-TIU, or fill out the form at the bottom of the page.

The Trump administration has launched the new TrumpRx website, where people can shop for prescription drugs at discounted rates. The site, a hub that points cash-paying customers to five participating manufacturers' websites, went live yesterday. We dig in. Then, it's been a bumpy week for markets. What should we make of it? Plus, we speak with a Minneapolis restaurant owner who says sales are down 50% due to ICE's crackdown in the city.

Software companies are in trouble. Or at least their stocks are. Salesforce is down 25%, and Intuit is down 31%, after startup Anthropic released a new tool sparking fear among investors that software companies are in danger of becoming obsolete. We'll learn more. Then, all kinds of cryptocurrencies are cratering in value, and we'll hear what it's like to be a small business in an anemic job market.

From the BBC World Service: Japanese voters will give their verdict on the government of Sanae Takaichi this weekend after Japan's first female prime minister called a snap election just months into her first term. How is the economy there shaping the election? Plus, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel says his government is trying to solve an energy crisis exacerbated by U.S. sanctions. And we check in with a company on a tiny Scottish island that produces an essential piece of Winter Olympics equipment.

On this week’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we take a look at Nvidia's changing investment relationship with OpenAI. Plus, a stormy start for the new U.S. version of TikTok. But first, SpaceX, one of the world’s largest rocket companies, announced this week that it’s buying xAI, a two-and-half-year-old artificial intelligence startup. Both companies are controlled by Elon Musk. The new company is reportedly valued at $1.25 trillion. It means the chatbot Grok, the satellite internet company Starlink, and the social media firm X are all going to co-exist under the same rocket hangar. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Paresh Dave, senior writer at Wired, about what adding these companies together equals.

The latest JOLTS report is bleaker than expected. There were 6.5 million job openings across the U.S. economy in December, down nearly 400,000 from the previous month. This misaligned labor market is especially prominent in the services sector. In this episode, what's next for employment and which groups in particular are struggling to find work. Plus: The U.S. lags behind China in electrical capacity expansion, bankers show reluctance to lend to AI-impacted industries, and a photographer installs free-to-use phones across his city.

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.