Category: 4-FrequentNewsStreams

With the government shutdown delaying the Bureau of Economic Analysis' third quarter GDP estimate, economists turn to Fed models and private analysts. The verdict? The estimates vary but generally indicate that growth was positive, crediting business investment and consumer spending. Also in this episode: What private sector data says about the job market, why homebuyers are still waiting on the sidelines, and how banks are managing commercial real estate amid high office vacancy.

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.

As big companies announce waves of layoffs, lots of workers are worried about AI coming for their jobs. On today’s show, we tune in to part of Kimberly’s recent panel discussion at Aspen Ideas: Economy. President of the AARP Foundation Claire Casey, 1Huddle founder and CEO Sam Caucci, and Union College of Union County New Jersey President Margaret McMenamin share their insights on building a more diverse and resilient labor market in the years ahead. Plus, we hear a listener’s recent win: sewing a historically-accurate dress to sport at the local Renaissance Faire. Nice stitching, Hannah!

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• "Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety. Here are some companies that have cut jobs recently" from AP News
• "Tens of Thousands of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing as AI Starts to Bite" from The Wall Street Journal
• VIDEO: "Beyond Lip Service: Building a Resilient Labor Market" from Aspen Ideas: Economy

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

The government has been shut down for nearly a month, and millions of people are starting to feel the effects on federal programs like SNAP, WIC, Head Start and more. In the Loop talks with Brightpoint CEO Mike Shaver, Rolling Meadows resident and mother Wendy Mamola and Northwestern professor Terri Sabol about how a prolonged shutdown could impact the early childhood education and other services provided by Head Start. For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have pulled U.S.-China relations back from the brink. China says both sides will suspend plans to expand export controls — the U.S. on advanced tech and China on rare earths — and Trump will reduce tariffs on China’s exports by 10%. Plus, Meta stocks are down in the dumps, and the Netherlands is experiencing growing pains in the clean energy transition.

If nothing changes before the weekend, most of the 42 million people on food stamps, or SNAP, will not get their November benefits as scheduled. The interruption for people who rely on SNAP to buy food would be significant but could also have broader ripple effects across the economy, as SNAP generates jobs, wages, and taxes. Also: the track record of past New York City rent freezes and the likelihood of future rate cuts this year.

From the BBC World Service: At a long-anticipated meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea and discussed a possible truce in the trade war. What happens now between the world's two largest economies? Then, thousands of homes and businesses in the Netherlands are waiting to connect to the electricity grid, and thousands more are waiting to inject power back into the system. But the grid is struggling to cope with the transition to green energy.

Graphics processing units are essential to training and deploying artificial intelligence models, but they don’t come cheap. Big Tech companies like Meta, Microsoft and xAI have spent billions, amassing hundreds of thousands or even millions of them.

For those without such deep pockets, access to this kind of computing power has gotten out of reach. Recently, the state of California launched an initiative called CalCompute to look into building its own public GPU cluster for startups and non-profit researchers to use. There are similar public compute pilots in New York state and at the federal level.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino tells us more.

Initial estimates show Hurricane Melissa may have killed dozens across Haiti and Jamaica. Melissa is one of the strongest storms the region has ever seen, leaving widespread destruction in multiple Caribbean nations. To discuss the ongoing rescue and relief efforts, Amna Nawaz spoke with Brian Bogart of the World Food Programme. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

As part of the latest ceasefire deal, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and the bodies of nearly 200. Many of the dead show what Palestinian officials and relatives say are signs of torture and abuse. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen spoke with relatives of the deceased and of those still held. A warning: viewers may find some images disturbing. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Nvidia's market valuation surged to $5 trillion Wednesday, breaking records. The chipmaker is on fire, and it’s using its glut of resources to invest in other tech firms that need those chips. But if companies are using Nvidia money to buy Nvidia chips … should investors fret about a bubble? Also in this episode: We unpack Trump’s trade agreements with Japan and South Korea, more families skip paid child care altogether, and the Fed cuts rates for the second time this year.

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.