Author: Marketplace

From the BBC World Service: Japanese carmaker Nissan recently unveiled sweeping cost-cutting plans. Now, it says it could share its U.K. factory with a Chinese state-owned company, manufacturing vehicles on their behalf. Plus, Malawi has lost a much-needed International Monetary Fund program worth $175 million. And, the Eurovision Song Contest is back this week. How has Eurovision managed to stay relevant after nearly 70 years?

President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East has prompted a flurry of AI deals worth billions. We'll get into the details on today's “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

Stateside, the Trump administration has rolled back a Biden-era “AI Diffusion” rule. Companies involved in the semiconductor supply chain were critical of the rule, though it's still not entirely clear how Trump plans to revamp the regulation.

Plus, what some might call the most obvious rebrand: Warner Bros brings back the "HBO" to its Max streaming platform.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to discuss all of this and more.

Retail sales were practically flat from March to April, and consumers are feeling more glum, two recent reports show. Already, one big box retailer has said it will start raising prices in the wake of tariff pressure. In this episode, what happens when stressed shoppers meet higher costs? Plus: Data centers could be key to stabilizing natural gas demand, slashed USDA grants leave small farms scrambling to stay afloat and Trump’s tariffs, ironically, send some manufacturing out of the U.S. and into Canada.

In today’s show, Kimber-Kai are answering your questions about all the wild things going on in the U.S. economy. Isn’t the 30% tariff rate on China still crazy high? And, how are local governments preparing for potential federal funding cuts? We’ll discuss how states are weighing their next moves, and how the “Trump Slump” has taken shape in California. Then, we’ll get into the Federal Reserve’s wait-and-see tariff strategy. 

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “State of U.S. Tariffs: May 12, 2025” from The Budget Lab at Yale
• “States, Cities Face Funding Collapse Threat With Trump Cuts” by Bloomberg
• “Higher prices or higher unemployment? The economy could face a no-win dilemma” by NBC News

Join us tomorrow for “Economics on Tap.” The YouTube livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Donate during our May Fundraiser and get a classic public radio thank-you gift: tote bags, mugs, t-shirts, hats, and more! Give now: https://support.marketplace.org/smart-sn 

Ever wrestled with a work problem and didn’t know where to turn? We’ve got you. In our new advice column, “Work Drama,” we try to find answers to your sticky work situations. 

This week, “This Is Uncomfortable” host Reema Khrais is joined by career coach and podcaster Mandi Woodruff-Santos to unpack your workplace problems -- from messy, toxic bosses to dealing with salary negotiations.

Got workplace drama you need help dealing with? Shoot us an email at uncomfortable@marketplace.org to tell us about it, or call ‪(347) 746-4848‬ and leave a message. 

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Walmart officials are saying the retail giant will raise prices within weeks due to higher import taxes imposed by the Trump administration. The largest retailer in the country released Q1 results today — revenue was up, but the company declined to give profit guidance for the current quarter. Also on the show: busy times for Chinese exporters, proposed changes to Medicaid and a look at the future of interest rates.

Amid the uncertainty triggered by President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcements, many investors started looking for places outside the U.S. to park their capital. One beneficiary? Japan. More foreign money flowed into Japanese stocks and bonds than ever before — about $50 billion worth. Also on this morning's show: a conversation about the value of the U.S. dollar and what happens if it loses its status as the reserve currency.

From the BBC World Service: Beijing has announced a 90-day pause of its tariff measures, which had banned dozens of American companies from trading with Chinese firms. Now, companies are rushing to ship products before that 90-day window closes. Plus, the Eurovision Song Contest is the world's biggest TV show. The annual event is taking place this week in Switzerland, with hundreds of thousands of fans already massing in the host city of Basel. We'll learn about the economic impact.

President Donald Trump talks a lot about wanting to build more stuff here in the U.S. But the future of manufacturing might not even be on earth, but in orbit.

It might sound kind of out there — or way out there — but space manufacturing is already happening on a small scale. There's a mini boom of companies looking to do more of it, according to recent reporting in Wired by journalist Jonathan O'Callaghan. He says space has some unique qualities that make it attractive for manufacturing.

Early estimates say the GOP’s tax bill will add $3.8 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. (This, despite President Trump’s insistence on shrinking the national debt.) But amid economic instability caused by the trade war and federal spending cuts, will the bond market snap up all that government debt? Plus: What to look for in Thursday's producer price index, why moving manufacturing to the U.S. will be easier for some sectors than others and how grocery store generics became so popular.