Author: Marketplace

The prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market draws over 1,000 Indigenous artists from more than 200 tribal nations each year, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis artists from Canada. But this year, economic policies from the Trump administration have complicated things for those traveling from north of the border. We'll chat with a few artists. Also on the show: India and China will restart direct flights, and mortgage rates dip, but not enough to boost demand.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has confirmed that the Trump administration is considering taking a stake in the struggling U.S. chipmaker Intel. The arrangement would be unusual but not unprecedented. And Intel was already getting a federal grant under the CHIPS and Science Act, approved during the Biden administration. Also on the show: a dispatch from the annual World AI Conference in Shanghai and a look at the pluses and minuses of retailers using third-party vendors.

From the BBC World Service: Hundreds of thousands of avid video gaming fans are gathering in Cologne for Gamescom 2025, the world’s largest annual video game event. It comes at a time when the industry is struggling with studio layoffs, increased competition in a crowded market, and rising costs. Plus, a centuries-old church in Sweden has begun a slow-motion journey to make way for the expansion of the world's deepest iron ore mine.

Wearables aren't just for tracking steps or monitoring heart rates anymore. In AI-crazed Silicon Valley, a new crop of tech-enabled accessories has taken hold… and they could be listening to everything we say.

In this uncertain economy, employers want to save where they can. That’s likely why Starbucks just joined a growing list of companies to shift from merit-based raises to a flat percentage raise. In this episode, why a flat raise structure tends to be cheaper and less time consuming than merit increases — even though everyone gets ‘em. Plus: China leans into trade with developing nations, President Trump wants to cut funding for flights to rural airports, and homebuilder sentiment stays low.

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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.

Over the past few years, the anime industry has reached new heights on the global stage. Netflix reported that over half of its global viewers watch anime. And, certain anime titles will soon be streaming on Delta flights. On the show today, Anime News Networks’ Egan Loo makes us smart about the rise of the anime and manga industries, the global dynamics of anime production, and how AI could change everything. 

Later, we’ll get some advice on making a career change from a listener. And chess player-turned-economist Kenneth Rogoff answers the Make Me Smart question.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Anime Is Booming. So Why Are Animators Living in Poverty?" from The New York Times
• "From Piracy Problems to Labor Shortages, the Anime Industry Is Facing a Reckoning" from Screen Rant
• "Thousands of Anime Titles Will Soon Be Streamable on Delta Flights" from Timeout
• "Sony’s Crunchyroll Makes Layoffs as It Restructures to Lean Into International Growth Markets" from Variety
• "The Biggest Movie You Haven't Seen Is Finally Coming To US Theaters" from Inverse  

• "How Korean webtoons are changing the comic industry—and the careers of creators" from Fast Company

  
  

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Many garment factories have shuttered amid a decades-long decline in U.S. apparel production, and tariffs won't be enough to bring them back. But higher-end, higher-quality clothing can still be made at a profit stateside. Today, we'll take lessons from one suit factory in New Bedford, Massachusetts. But first: Home Depot reported disappointing profits this morning, and more retailers are having to weigh price costs, dwindling warehouse inventories, and price-conscious consumers.

Experts are still in the early stages of understanding just how much generative AI will disrupt the labor force. A new report by MIT finds that the adoption of AI led some firms to cut back spending on jobs that were often already being outsourced — things like customer support, software engineering, and administrative tasks. We'll learn more. Also: the dollar's role as the world's "reserve currency" and a $2 billion lifeline for Intel.

From the BBC World Service: Japan’s SoftBank has invested $2 billion in U.S. chipmaker Intel, which has been losing ground lately in the booming AI market. It also comes as the U.S. government weighs whether to take a direct stake in the company. And, as historic White House talks spark hopes of a Putin–Zelensky summit, the war in Ukraine grinds on, with Russia turning to North Korea to plug major labor gaps.

Marketplace’s Jennifer Pak recently attended the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. She asked Chinese AI firms what they think about the humans who might lose jobs to their AI products.